Please This Is As Far As We Go
by Tashana Ambrosia
Summary: There are two phrases that seem to chase their conversations like a snake swallowing its own tail: Please and This is as far as we go. Seth and Kate deal with the aftermath of Season 1 and the loss of their families. This is my take on Seth and Kate's "Mexican Honeymoon" Things take a sexual turn. Romantic-ish... Angst at the end. Seriously the last part angst.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own From Dusk 'Til Dawn, nor am I gaining profit from this story. These characters belong to the authors of their original creation and their re-imagining.

 **Authoress Notes:** So I have been watching this show since it debuted on Netflix and I cannot get enough of it. I love the characters, the world, and the amazing things they have done with it. This is set after Season one – and technically is cannon to the whole thing, but how knows what will happen in Season three, although I'm watching through my hands, cause it's been so crazy so far. I cannot wait to see what happens next. This is my take on Seth and Kate's "Mexican Honeymoon" and I'm planning it to be a couple of chapters, but it depends on the response. I may leave it as a one-shot. If I do extend it the rating will likely go up, but again depends on the response.

If you've wandered it, because you read my other things, I'm hard at work on those…I promise.

 **Please; This Is As Far As We Go**

There are rules that are spoken and promises that are unspoken. There are two phrases that seem to chase their conversations like a snake swallowing its own tail. The phrases of: 'please' and 'this is as far as we go.' Her 'please' is soft and sounds like a plea, but it holds all the power over him. His 'this is as far as we go' is harsh and sounds like a hardline, but it is a plea for her to ask no more of him. The unspoken is her quiet caring and his constant need to touch. Her caring is prayer, treating wounds, and being a mender of the broken, because she has always been this way. He has always been tactile and he needs to touch. It goes beyond a simple want; it's painful when he is denied physical contact. If he goes too long he starts to twitch, his fingers drum, his foot taps, he can't be still, and he's ungrounded, unable to be quiet or find focus. Contact wasn't just touching, it could be a punch or even a fight and when he was desperate he doesn't care if its pain or pleasure. When he was stressed it became much worse, like a junkie needing a fix, and he knew there was something so fucked up about that.

When they drove away from the hellhole that took everything from both of them, he was trying to focus on driving and the twitching started. He blindly reached for her hand and sighed in relief when she let him feed his fingers through hers. She didn't look at him or speak and after an hour of silent driving he realized that she was barely hanging on to her sanity. He won't tell her that it's okay, because it's not okay. He didn't know where he was going or what they're doing. He told her that he was there and they were getting gone, because that much he knew. The Corvette flew down the dirt road and he just wanted to get away. After the second hour he let go of her hand, because the road was too rough, needed both hands on the wheel. She curved her body towards the window, pulling her knees to her chest.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, as the blood-stained preacher's daughter…. No, her father's dead; she's an orphan now. He twitched uncomfortably as he realized the blood-stained _girl_ was completely alone in the world and it was utterly his fault. He drove on as Kate made no sound and gave no reaction to the jerks and jumps of the car.

He stopped to get gas after he'd driven four hours straight and realized after pumping gas that he no way to pay. He told Kate he'd be right back and she moved for the first time, turning her head to look at him, her eyes widening. He repeated that he would be right back and she nodded doleful green eyes unblinking. He walked into the gas station and grabbed three bottles of water, jerky, chips and bottle of tequila. After the clerk bagged the items, Seth pulled out his gun and told the kid to put all the cash from the register in the bag with the supplies. The attendant was probably no older than Kate; Seth didn't have the time or the energy to feel bad. He drove for hours tapping on the steering wheel and alternating looking at the road, in the rearview mirror, and at the girl in the passenger seat, who was so still that it was making him nervous.

He kept driving by motels, and even though he knew they should stop, he just couldn't. Kate moved for a second time when a cloud passed over the sun, dimming the light. She looked up and whimpered so quietly that if he hadn't been watching her so intently that he would have missed it. He glanced up and assured her that it just looked like rainclouds, they'd stop before it hit. He lied to her again, because the storm hit so fast that they were soaked before he could figure out how to get the stupid top down on the car. He sighed heavy and looked at Kate, who was blinking away the water, but stubbornly didn't move. The blood that had been caked her in hair made red rivers down her face and he never felt sicker in his life. Instead of acting like a normal person and having compassion he lost his temper.

He threw himself out of the car and yanked the teenager out of her seat and into the rain, "Christ, Kate." He growled as lightening lit up the sky. "I didn't let you get in the car with me so I could watch you play three faces of fucking Eve. So you either screw your head on straight or…"

She threw her arms his neck and started to sob.

He blinked confused, but his arms reflexively wrapped around her loosely. "Kate…"

"Please." Her breath was hot on his neck in sharp contrast to the cold rain. "Please, don't leave me. I lost everything."

It was a punch to the gut, but he stood there and took it. He was practiced in taking hits both physical and verbal and unlike some of what he endured over the years he deserved her blows, however she dealt them out.

"I'm alone." She somehow gripped him tighter. "Don't leave me, please."

He molded himself against her, trying to shield her from the elements, and rubbed her back. "We need to find a place to sleep."

She nodded, her hair agitating the bite wounds on his neck, before she let him settle her back into the car.

They started down the road again, and he cranked the heat on, didn't need to get sick on top of everything else. He found a motel about three miles up the road and eyed it carefully before pulling into the parking lot. He told her to stay put and he'd be right back. He bought a pair of t-shirts from the hotel owner, who was all too happy to take cash for the room and hand Seth a key. The pair got to the room with one king bed and Seth growled out a curse and turned to storm out, but Kate grabbed his hand, shaking her head.

It wasn't worth the argument. He pointed towards the bathroom and instructed her. "You need to take a shower. Get warm."

"You too." Her voice was still so disconnected.

"I will; after you're done, so go on." He put his hand on the small of her back and started walking her to door. He was tired, running out of patience for the world, and the only reason he wasn't losing his shit again was because she looked so scared.

Her nails dug into his arm, "I don't want to be alone."

"Princess," He sighed heavy and opened the bathroom door for her, "I'll be right outside. If you're longer than ten minutes, I'll break in guns blazing."

The corner of lip twitched up for a second, before her next step faltered, the bathroom had a large window that looked out into the desert.

"Shit." He stomped in and pulled the blinds closed, "Who the hell designs a bathroom with a goddamn window?! Is this the peepshow motel? Come park out back and watch the weary travelers be naked or take a shit, or whatever your fucking fancy is we've got it." He growled more to himself than Kate, but jumped when she turned on the water. "I'll just go…"

"Stay." She kept a hold of his arm. "Please."

"Fine." He relented and pulled his arm free, before sitting down on the bathroom sink. "Far as I go is right here. I'm not perving on an underage girl."

Kate started stripping and he turned his head away. "I'm not underage." She informed him as she pulled back the shower curtain.

Seth pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket and lit one, cracking the window open enough for the smoke to curl out. "You told…" He stopped short of his brother's name, refusing to speak it. "You said you were underage."

"He scared me." Her voice was barely loud enough to be heard over the running water. "I thought saying that might make him treat me different. I only turned eighteen last week."

"Self-preservation lie, huh? I can appreciate that." He took a long drag of the cigarette and breathed out deeply. "I'm gonna snag that bottle of tequila."

"I can finish real quick." Her voice went up an octave.

"You just got in." He objected, "I don't mind if the water's not that warm when I get in, but you're cold as ice. You need to get the heat into your bones."

He hoped off the counter and reached for the door, when she cried out in a panic. He took a breath to keep from yelling at her, because if she was freaking out over a spider or a bug, he was gonna lose his shit, trauma or not. "What, Kate?" He looked at the shower curtain and he could see her silhouette was moving, but she didn't answer him. "Kate, what the hell is wrong?" He threw the cigarette in the sink and marched up to the shower. "I swear, Kate, if you're freaking out over a bug after all that shit I'll…"

"I'm bleeding from somewhere. The water's still red. I must have been bit. God, I didn't feel it. I…I…"

Seth ripped the curtain back , grabbed the startled, naked girl, who was on the verge of having a panic attack, and turned her around so he could inspect her. "Breathe." He barked moving her hair away from her shoulders so he could inspect her back. He ran his hands over her back and down to her ass, not seeing anything he spun her, ignoring her hiccupping breathing. Her unfolded her arms from her chest and looked her up and down, focused on the task of looking for a bite, but found nothing. The shower was spraying him from the side, which was more than a little annoying, but he looked over her head and neck, and still nothing. He looked down at the water gathering on the shower floor and it was tinged red. "Turn your leg out." He bumped her right knee with his hand. She obeyed wordlessly and sure as shit there was a long line of blood on the inside of her thigh. "It's not a bite. You got cut."

Kate stumbled and pressed her hand against the shower wall. "I can't…I can't…please."

He cussed out loud, pulled his shirt off and shucked his pants, climbing into the shower with her, ignoring her body and focusing on her face and quivering lip. "Breathe." He pressed his hand over her heart and grabbed her hand, smacking it against his chest. "Feel that?!" When she nodded, he continued. "We both have heart beats. We are both fucking alive and it's gonna stay that way. You got it?!"

She nodded again, her eyes still full of tears.

"I'm gonna get us cleaned up, but you listen, Princess, this is as far as this goes."

He washed her hair as gently as he could, but it was a tangled mess. He used washcloth as he washed areas he shouldn't have his hands on. He made her get out and wrap in a towel so he could wash himself. She refused to leave the bathroom, so he dried off and got back into his pants as fast as possible. He treated the cut on the inside of her thigh, while she sat in nothing but her underwear and the t-shirt he bought her. He bandaged it and told her he was gonna pour them both a drink and they needed to try to eat something. He told her they weren't getting drunk, just wanted to get the edge off. He took three shots to her one, to be fair he planned on it being two a piece, but she rejected the second shot, couldn't waste it. Neither of them wanted the food, but it had been too long since either of them had eaten. They drank water, and chewed on jerky and potato chips in relative silence.

When she yawned he asked her if she wanted the tv on or off. Richie always wanted the tv on after a rough job, the white noise helped his brain quiet… Kate shrugged not caring either way. He found an old western and smiled absent-mindedly, Magnificent Seven it was classic, even if it was in Spanish. He double checked the lock on the door and shoved the chair under the handle. He told her to get under the covers, he was planning on laying on top of those covers, giving her a barrier. He was itching for contact, but didn't want to touch her, in case she wanted space. She pulled the blankets away from bed, silently offering the option to be close to her. He wrapped his body around hers, making sure she felt safe. He told her there was a gun under his pillow and one on the nightstand closer to her.

After he was sure she had nodded off, he buried his nose in her hair, breathing apologies over and over until he passed out from exhaustion and guilt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own From Dusk 'Til Dawn, nor am I gaining profit from this story. These characters belong to the authors of their original creation and their re-imagining.

 **Notes:** Rating went up... Yup... This went in a way different direction than I thought it was going to go. I'm just gonna go ahead and say this is only cannon to season one. I really hope you guys like this part. Thank you for the positive response so far.

 **Part Two: Please; My Body Wants To Go Farther**

Neither of them slept very well, between general unrest and the nightmares, it was a bad situation. He knew he screamed like a bitch when he had them, because he was half in, half out, one night after Kate had woken him up and he heard her apologizing to their neighbors. She was sorry about all the noise, but how her lover had come back from fighting and had PTSD and things weren't easy for them right now. The angry couple shrank away from Kate's soft, sorrowful eyes and said they'd be praying for their peace. Kate was gracious, but he scoffed after she closed the door. He questioned her sudden ability to lie and Kate told him that they'd both been fighting and had something that was at least like PTSD, so it wasn't really lying. He didn't comment on the lover part of her 'unlie,' because that part was a lie. Even though he was loud, Kate seemed had no trouble waking him, she'd call his name and say, _please,_ and it would beckon him away from fire and blood. If he wanted to get any real rest, he found that falling asleep holding her with the TV on helped. So he took advantage of her nearness with Spanish movies playing in the background whenever she let him. She offered to listen, so he told about his nightmares.

Kate slept no better, but she was so quiet. Other than the first night after the Twister, when they had both slept almost twelve hours straight, she seemed to always be awake as he was drifting off and up before he pulled himself away from sleep. She never cried out, but she whimpered and whined in a soft breathy tone that woke him from a sound sleep and broke him. Her face would contort in fear and pain and she was so damn hard to wake up. Yelling and shaking her, just seemed to force her further into whatever she was seeing, but running his hands over her head and whispering, _princess_ or her name, seemed to do the trick. She always wanted to be closer to him after the dreams. She'd wrap her arms around him and nuzzle her face into his chest, breathing, _please_ , into his skin. He'd rub her back and sometimes her arms, but remind her that, _this is as far as it goes_. She never talked about what she saw, even though he offered to listen.

Unable to sleep this particular night, he decided that they'd walk down the local bar and have a drink or two or seven, as was likely in his case. The bar had been a shitty choice and he realized all too late that it was too full of Americans not to have a bounty-hunter or two looking for an easy mark. Kate was sitting next to him picking at the dessert she ordered, when he caught a larger guy at the bar eyeballing them.

"What it is?" Kate questioned. She was getting scary quick at reading people, including him. The longer she was with him the more Seth realized that she'd be one hell of grifter. Couldn't let that happen.

"Guy over at the bar… Don't look; Christ." He grabbed Kate's chin to keep her from doing a full turn. He sighed and shoved her purse to the ground, "Look when you pick that up: Astros T-shirt and leather jacket."

Kate shot him an annoyed look, but inclined her head in the direction of the bar as she retrieved her purse. "Do you know him?"

He shook his head, "Not him, just the type: bounty-hunter. He's trying to figure out if he's seen my face or not."

She moved closer to him and pulled the sleeve of his jacket down making sure it covered his tattoo. "What do we do?"

His fingers twitched, he wanted to put his hand on his gun, but the move would alert that asshole that he was armed. He could start a fight, and drag Kate out in the confusion. He could get the guy to follow him out of the bar alone and put a bullet in him. None of these options were good, but his brain was so fried. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten more than two solid hours of sleep at a stretch.

Kate wasn't doing much better than he was, but she was always trying to be helpful, to be her. They both needed to rest, but neither of them seemed to be able to. What the hell was he supposed to be thinking about?

Kate laid her hand over his, "Seth, what do we do?"

He snapped back out of his wandering thoughts and looked at her expectant face. "We need to get him to stop looking at us."

She bit her lower lip, "Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."

"Huh?" He arched his eyebrow. He would have questioned her more eloquently but Kate slid herself onto his lap the wooden chair creaking with the added weight. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him. What the fuck! What the literal fuck was she doing? He realized as he looked at her open, anxious eyes that she was distracting the asshole at the bar. He ran his hands up her back and tried to keep his responses looking enthusiastic without actually being enthusiastic.

Kate shivered against him and he was pretty sure he was gonna lose the little self-control that he was clinging to and do more things that he shouldn't be thinking about.

He caught the back of her head and turned her slightly, kissing her face and glancing beyond her. The asshole was now much more interested in the bartender. "Good job. We gotta get gone." His voice was huskier then it should have been.

Kate nodded; her cheeks pink, as she slipped off his lap and threw money onto the table.

He kept her close as they walked out of the bar, his head on a swivel making sure no one was following them. "We need to take the long way back."

She caught his hand in hers. "Good thing I'm wearing my walking shoes, well my only shoes."

The walked like a couple, close, but his hand kept moving to his gun and she kept glancing over her shoulder when he looked back.

After they walked several blocks out of the way and then backtracked back to the hotel he finally asked as he pulled his hand away from hers, "So what made you think of that?"

"Think of what?" Kate asked, false-innocence flashing in her green eyes as she unlocked their door.

"You know what I mean. The kissing me thing." He walked by her to get further distance and flopped down on the bed.

Kate was trying to look not uncomfortable, but did her nervous hair tuck tell. He had to train that out of her, no reason anyone should know when she got nervous. "It worked for Black Widow."

"Huh?"

"Oh, I forget you fell asleep during the movie last night. It was just one of scenes, thought it was a good play for the situation" She set her purse down on the table and peeked through the curtains reflexively, she was learning. "I'll pack tonight before I try to sleep. We'll need to move out in the morning, right?"

"Yeah." He sighed looking up at the ceiling. "No reason to take a risk."

She nodded and put her hands on her hips, "Flip the coin."

"Naw, you take the shower, I got it first last night." He waved her towards the ugly green bathroom.

"We always flip." She countered.

He rubbed his hands over his face, "That's because I'm an asshole, I like hot water, and it's a two headed coin." He smirked, knowing without looking that she'd folded her arms over her chest. "Come on, Princess, you think I'd start playing fair? You had a good plan tonight, got us out of the scrape. You earned the hot water."

Kate grabbed her night clothes, before heading into the bathroom. "I'm flipping the coin from now on."

"Anything you say, Princess."

He stripped himself down to his boxers and wife-beater, because it was too damn hot and it wasn't like they were modest around each all the time. They'd encountered a Culebra last week ago and it was just one, but it had him before he knew what was happening. Kate had hit the thing with the crowbar from the car and blood splattered all over both of them, he wretched the weapon away from her and stabbed the thing in the chest over and over until it evaporated into dust. He could barely breathe after it was over, he realized somewhere in the back of his mind, that this is what a panic attack must feel like. He felt weak and worthless, but Kate grabbed his hand, dragging him back to their hotel room and into the bathroom. Just like the first night after the Twister, they shared a shower. Although with Kate in charge, she'd kept her bra and underwear on, but that feeling of her finger nails on his scalp… He pushed the memory far away as the air conditioner groaned to life. Thank god, maybe he'd be able to get some sleep.

Kate came out of the bathroom dressed for bed, but her hair was still wrapped in a towel. "All yours."

He looked at the clock, "That was quick."

"You whine when the water's not hot." She teased tossing her day clothes on the end of the bed.

"Kate, there is only one thing I whine about not having." He quipped without thinking and smacked his forehead. "Christ."

She threw her head back and laughed out loud. She sounded so full of life and her eyes lit up, like the horror of reality didn't exist. He had to make her laugh more often. "It's like a 'that's what she said' joke." She noted his look of disbelief and followed-up, "I want to a real school for two years, I heard things."

He got up, chuckling as he walked to the bathroom door, "You gonna be okay, if I shut the door?" She had left the door open when she took her shower, and he didn't want her to get nervous, but he needed the privacy, badly.

"Long as I can hold the gun." She motioned at the piece on the night stand.

He nodded and stretched his arms over his head as he plodded to the bathroom, "We'll get some target practice in between towns."

She smiled enthusiastically, before ruffling her hair with the towel to get rid of the moisture.

He restarted the water and noted happily that she had indeed left him some hot water. He shouldn't have, but he thought about her on his lap: soft body and softer lips. She'd tasted like tequila and sugar, from the churro she'd nibbled on, and as much has he shouldn't have enjoyed it, he did. She was a kid, legal age or not, it just wasn't fucking right. He should have put her back into the RV and back on the road to Churchville, Texas and not been such a selfish, fucking bastard. But he was a selfish, fucking bastard, one that couldn't handle being alone. The loss was too much; the truth of what _the_ world, and _his_ world, really was, was just too damn much.

He banged his head against the shower wall, the images of blood and fire retreating, as the memory of her soft skin under his fingers rushed in. She wouldn't let him sleep alone, saying his nightmares were worse when they slept apart, but his hands were almost always under her clothes when he woke. If it bothered her to wake up tangled up with him, she never complained and if she noticed that he was hard almost every morning, she didn't comment. Because when he wasn't gripped by a nightmare, he was dreaming of sex, recently of sex with Kate. He wasn't as smart as his brother, but he knew about how close quarters could affect people and how physical release could help put a body at rest.

He knew his body needed to rest and he gripped himself, stroking hard. _Shouldn't be doing this_ , but the guilty thought wasn't enough to stop him. He groaned and continued; trying to think about his ex or any another girl, other than the girl, who probably flipping through channels sitting on the double bed. Her dark hair, fair skin and innocent green eyes… shit. He should not be doing this period, but even more not doing this, thinking of Kate. But fuck-it he also needed to relax and get some damn sleep tonight. If he went one more night without a decent night's sleep he was going turn into his brother hearing voices and shit. By the time he worked himself to release, the water was luke-warm and it was cold by the time he finished washing himself.

He dried off and avoided looking at himself in the mirror, pulling on his clean boxers and day-old wife-beater. The TV was already on and the AC unit was still sputtering along, keeping the room at a semi-comfortable temperature for once. She had packed up all of their things, the bags sitting in the chair that she'd shoved under the doors handle. For someone who'd lived their whole life on a church pew, she was adapting to life on the road too well. Kate was already asleep, which was pretty rare, but he'd take it. He laid down next to her and started to drift off immediately, his body actually relaxed.

He didn't know how long he was out, but Kate's heavy breathing woke him. Her legs kicked restlessly and a sheen of sweat covered her skin, the damn AC unit had stopped sometime while they were both sleeping. "Just a nightmare, wake up." He muttered into her hair, hoping he wouldn't have to move to wake her, because he wanted to go right back to sleep. She moaned quietly, but stubbornly stayed in her dream. He sighed as he sat up, and touched her cheek, "Ka..."

"Seth." She whimpered his name and tried to lean into his touch.

He pulled his hand away like he'd been burned. That was certainly not a nightmare that she was having. His level of discomfort went from zero to one-fucking-thousand in 1.2 seconds. He should go. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, since he wasn't going to leave her alone at night. He could go sit in the chair by the door. The alarm clock on the night stand it read: 5:30. Well, he'd gotten six hours of sleep, which was pretty damn good. He should not be in bed with her right now.

She moaned again, one fists clenched at her side, the other tugging at her t-shirt, as her body shifted agitatedly.

Okay, he needed to wake her up. He leaned over her, "Come on now, Kate; time to rise and shine."

"Seth, please." Her voice was desperate, and her breath smelled like tequila.

He glanced at the nightstand, noticing that the bottle of silver patron was there, vs. her normal bottle of water. She was as desperate to rest as he was, that's why she hadn't flinched about the door. She probably started working on that bottle the moment the door closed. He kissed her forehead, "You coulda said something." He watched her face soften, "You having a good dream about me, huh?" He ran his fingers through her hair, this time letting her lean into the touch. "I'm a bad man. Shouldn't be dreaming about me."

He continued to run his fingers over her skin, down her arm to the back of her clenched hand. It only took two passes of his stronger fingers to get hers to uncurl hers. He ran his fingers up her palm, to her delicate fingers and laid her hand on her exposed stomach. Her body was in contradiction with itself: taut needing some kind of release, but pliable from the alcohol in her system. He pulled her hand away from her t-shirt and kissed her palm. "I'm going to Hell for what I've done to you, Kate, and for what I want to do to you." He guided her hands under her clothes, moving them until she started to find a natural rhythm. He was so close to her, but except for her hands or a kiss against her temple, he reframed from touching her. Instead he breathed words of encouragement into her ear, as she moved against her own fingers, back arching off the bed. "So fucking beautiful, Princess. You have no idea how much I want to do this to you."

She whimpered his name again as her body trembled.

"That's it, let go. Let me see you." He watched her fall apart and realized by her gasp that she'd woken herself up. Thankfully his head was against the pillow and he was laying on his stomach, damn this was not a comfortable position right now. He closed his eyes and felt Kate moving away from him, "You okay?" The gravel in voice disguised as sleepiness.

"Nightmare." She clipped, breathing still labored.

"C'mere." He motioned for her to lay back down next to him, trying to convince her that he was clueless.

She hesitated, before climbing out of bed. "I need to pee."

He said nothing, but drew in a couple of deep calming breaths as the door slammed. He expected her to hug the edge of the bed, because he'd heard the embarrassment in her voice. Instead, when she came back to bed she laid back down next to him, her fingers tracing over his tattoo. He opened one eye and dared to look at her pink-tinged cheeks.

"I didn't have a nightmare." She admitted tucking her hair behind her ear as she bit her lower lip.

He ran his thumb over her lips and smirked at her, "Me neither. I'm not laying like this for my health, Princess."

Her blush now covered her whole face and she rolled over with a huff. "This is such an awkward topic."

He chuckled despite of everything and shifted so they were back to back. "Don't worry, talking is as far as this goes."


	3. Part Three: Please I Can Only Go So Far

**Disclaimer:** I do not own From Dusk 'Til Dawn, nor am I gaining profit from this story. These characters belong to the authors of their original creation and their re-imagining.

 **Notes:** Rating went up... Yup... This went in a way different direction than I thought it was going to go. I'm just gonna go ahead and say this is only cannon to season one. I really hope you guys like this part. Thank you for the positive response so far.

 **Part Three: Please; I Can Only Go So Far**

 **.**

Seth was not a people person, big shock to the world, he was aware. He kept his circle very tight and played it close to the chest. The more people you let in, the more chance there was for someone to double cross you, leave you for dead or just plain fuck you over. After his mother bailed and his father die… and Richie killed his father all he had was Richie and Uncle Eddie. And Eddie did the best he could, but being in the life didn't make it easy to take care of a pair of kids, that he never asked for. When Seth was pulling jobs and he had to work with someone other than Richie, he only ever gave them enough information to pull the job, never any more. He only answered questions that he was asked, unless he was stressed. When he was stressed his damn mouth was a runaway train on a track, and when he was yelling for everyone else to shut up, he was partly trying to shut his own brain up. As he traveled with Kate, he tried to keep his interactions limited to: the front desk clerk as he checked into the motel, the maid when he asked her to go away, the bartender pouring his drink, whoever he was holding up to get cash, and Kate.

Kate was a people person, again giant revelation, sarcasm fully implied. She was a preacher's daughter and a good southern girl, which meant her circle was as open as her heart. She believed in second chances and goodness of people. Even after the loss of both parents and her brother, she wasn't bitter or angry. She was sad, even withdrawn sometimes, but her genuine nature always persevered, making her the more pleasant of their duo. She would volunteer information, tell their neighbors that he had PTSD so they wouldn't overact to the noise. She greeted people, in English and broken Spanish, learning local spots and poking her nose where it didn't belong. She was quiet when she was stressed, often head bowed in prayer, fingers playing with her cross. She would talk to almost anyone, arguing that they were never going to find the connection that they needed without making conversation.

He woke up uneasy, her weight wasn't on the bed next to him. His mind was racing as he pushed away the nightmare that tried to chase him into the real world. Sunshine was pouring in through the window, and there was a breeze blowing the curtains. He could hear music, not a radio but a guitar, no two guitars… What the hell was going on? He pulled on a clean-ish t-shirt and opened the motel door, wincing at the natural brightness of the day. Kate was on the patio, with the girls she'd met last night, strumming a guitar. She'd introduced them to him, but Seth tried not to remember Hannah and Sarah's names. Fuck; so much for not remembering their names. Kate was singing too, it was nothing he recognized, sounded churchy. She looked up at him and smiled, as she the finished the song with the other two.

Hannah on the other hand was not smiling; the blonde was glaring at him. He noticed last night that she'd kept herself between him and Sarah, barely letting him shake the small brunette's hand. Not that he really gave a shit, but there weren't many reason to wear long-sleeves in hundred degree heat. Combine her clothing choices with the fact that Sarah was overly jumpy, and didn't make eye contact… He knew what those signs added up to all too damn well. Hannah was the opposite, she was aggressive: staring him down, daring him to break eye contact with her. He couldn't see it last night, but in the daylight he could see the rainbow colored feather tattooed on her forearm.

"Mornin', Kate." His voice was graveled from drinking too much last night.

"Good Morning. We didn't wake you did we?" Kate questioned sincerely concerned, because she was somehow still a good person that gave a shit. Sarah was looking at the ground and Hannah continued to strum on the guitar like he hadn't appeared. "Did you want to get breakfast, well lunch, it's after one?"

"Yeah." He nodded at her to follow, ignoring Kate's farewells to the girls. They walked in silence until they reached the little food stand they ate at yesterday, it was right in line with the money exchange that Seth was casing.

He handed Kate the cash and she ordered for both of them in Spanish. She set a styrofoam cup of coffee in front of him, and sat down with her own drink: horchata, shit, of course she'd be drinking that. "It'll be a minute. They're making fresh chicken."

He nodded and watched the shop, making mental notes of how the employees moved in and out of the back room. He could see a small safe, which in theory he could crack, but he'd rather hit right after the armored truck did the exchange because there was normally time between getting the money and putting it away.

"So, I've got a way to make some money tonight." She volunteered, shaking the ice in her cup.

"No." He barked, eyes never leaving the exchange.

She huffed, "Seth, I didn't even tell you what it is."

"If has anything to do with the K.D. Lang fans, the answer is no." He sipped his coffee and glanced up at her, noting her confusion. "The dykes." He clarified.

"Seth, don't…" She sounded like she was getting ready to serve him a sermon, but their order was up.

He watched the chick in the money exchange, the one with the long nails, flirt with the blonde tourist while handing him Pesos. She might be an easy way in, chat her up a bit get her to let her guard down. He sighed to himself, couldn't be a roper if he didn't have a partner to actually follow-up and rob the place. As much as Kate was learning, he wasn't ready or willing to involve her directly in a heist. Too many variables, too much risk and he just didn't trust himself. _"You do what I say; when I say, and you'll get out of this without any bumps or scrapes."_ His own words haunted him. She lost her father, her brother, and her innocent view of the world, all because of his stupid plan. The image of the blood running down her face after the events of Twister reared its head and his fingers twitched remembering the feel of the scar on her thigh. Kate _had_ bumps, scraps, with added bonuses of loss and trauma, and to top it off she was stuck with his lying ass.

Kate set his food in front of him and moved into the seat across from him, blocking his view.

"You mind?" He waved his hand in front of her, motioning for her to move out of his damn way.

"No. I don't." She folded her arms over her chest, "I want you to actually listen to me and getting in your way, is the only way to make you listen."

He glared at her and took a bite of whatever this was, tasted good at least.

"It's easy money."

He swallowed his bite, "Easy money is either one of two things: not enough money to be worth the trouble or too much trouble for the money."

"You sound like a fortune cookie."

"I sound like someone who's gotten his ass kicked on an _easy_ money job." He took a drink of his coffee. "I don't want you hanging around with people that we don't know if we can trust or not."

"You don't trust anyone." She sounded exasperated.

"And it's kept me alive thus far."

"Surviving." She corrected; annoyed and over his shit. "It's just playing guitar at the bar with them tonight. You don't even have to be there. It's like an hour set."

"Why do they need you anyway?" He couldn't believe he was even entertaining this idea, but maybe if she felt like she contributed, Kate would be satisfied being the getaway driver.

"Sarah's hand is broken." Kate started to tuck her hair behind her ear, but he caught her wrist startling her.

"That's your tell. Don't show you're nervous. People will take advantage." He let his eyes lock with hers too long, he watched her pupils dilate and released her hand instantly. "How'd she break it?"

Kate looked away and shoved a bite of food in to her mouth. He stared her down, silently letting her know that they weren't moving until she answered. She swallowed and looked around before explaining, "Her father did it after he found out about Hannah. They're hiding down here until Sarah turns eighteen next month."

"That's a lot of info to learn in a short amount of time, not bad." He nodded.

"Get more flies with honey then vinegar." She quipped.

"You can catch 'em shit too."

.:.

This was still a shit idea. A shitty idea, for what was probably gonna be a hundred bucks and his ears bleeding from crappy pop music. He was buttoning up his last clean shirt as Kate was getting ready in the bathroom. Kate had managed to stitch his jacket and while it had definitely seen better days, he'd look halfway decent. He knocked on the door, "You gonna be late, Princess."

"I know, I know." She flung the door open, almost hitting him with it. She was wearing a strapless, white sundress covered in little flowers, her hair was partly pulled back and was she wearing make-up? "What?" Her face fell as she watched him evaluate her. "I know the dress is a little tight, but Sarah's smaller than me. Does is look bad?" Her hand twitched, but she didn't reach for her hair. _Good girl, learning every day_. She didn't need to be so damn insecure.

As he tipped her chin up, "You look good. Just haven't seen you in make-up before." He noticed that she wasn't wearing her cross and he reached around her grabbing it from the bathroom counter. Vanessa had an oddly large collection of necklaces, so he could easily fasten a necklace clasp without looking. "There." He ran his fingers down the chain to make it laid smooth on her skin, "Almost forgot your badge, Sister Christian."

"Ha, ha." She moved by him and started pulling on the boots she'd been lent. "I'm gonna walk over with Hannah and Sarah. You really don't have to go."

"I'll see you in a few, Kate." He started fixing his tie as she raced out the door.

He didn't like her out of his sight, but he needed a minute. She did not look like a little girl in that dress and make-up and he needed to remember that she was a kid. The slip two weeks ago, had him so on edge that he'd thought about using again. Been so long since he thought about drugs, but damn, they would keep him sharp when he needed to be sharp and unconscious when he needed to be unconscious. He could not get the sound of his name from her lips out of his head.

Her nightmares were less frequent, but then again she wasn't sleeping much. He'd find her on the floor reading the Culebra bible she'd gotten her hands on. Sometimes he could get her to lay back down with him, but sometimes she'd shake her head and point to the coffee that she was already drinking at 4 in the morning.

There was a knock on the door, he checked the peephole and re-holstered his gun, before opening the door for Hannah. "She already left." He informed her, not liking that judgmental look that the blonde seemed to have plastered on her face for him.

"I know. I sent her ahead with Sarah. I wanted to talk you."

Seth folded his arms over his chest. "So talk."

"You should leave her with us." Hannah pulled no punches; she was a direct bitch, just like he was a get-to-point bastard.

"Why do you care? You've already got one girlfriend; I don't think she wants to be in a trio." He stepped out of the room forcing Hannah back a step. He didn't need her to see anything that he laying around in the room.

"I _care_ because she's obviously lived a sheltered life and have no idea how you fit into it. Also I'm not trying to hit on her you perv; just wondering what the hell you want with her." She set her feet, this girl knew how to fight and she was expecting this conversation to come to blows. Maybe she'd grown-up rough too.

"I'm helping her get home. That's it." Seth growled and leaned into Hannah's space, but she didn't back down.

"I can help her get home. Leave. Drive off right now, while she's distracted and I'll make sure she gets home." She pointed to his car.

Seth growled, "How you gonna get her across without a passport, huh? She doesn't have any papers."

"All she'll have to do is tell her sob story and cry. I deal with this shit all the time."

"Lost Americans in Mexico?"

"Trafficked girls." She spat.

He lashed out, pinning Hannah to the hotel wall. "I ain't trafficking her, you stupid bitch. I'm helping her, whether you believe it or not."

She jabbed him in the ribs and sidestepped him, to break free, "Asshole." She started walking away, "This is between you and me, I won't say anything, but you should think about leaving her with me and Sarah. I mean, I'm doing a wrong thing for the right reason, but you… pretty sure you're doing the right thing for the wrong reason."

He didn't try to retaliate or follow the blonde, but walked back into the hotel room and stared at the car keys on the table. Maybe she had a point…

.:.

He snuck in the back of the bar, determined to stay out of sight. He just wanted to see Kate before he left. He had broken into Hannah and Sarah's room after their altercation and searched it trying to figure out what the girl was really after. Turned out both of the girls were pastor's kids, just like Kate. One of them had left a tablet out and after scrolling through the contents he learned all he needed to know. Hannah's dad looked like he did time and found religion to the point of getting behind the pulpit and Sarah's was obviously the type that believed God's judgement was his to deliver as he saw fit. The girls were obviously a couple, and everything here, indicated they were just here hiding until Sarah was legal and wouldn't have to go back home. They were well stocked too: clothes, food, supplies, and cash. He had pocketed most of the cash and Hannah could blame herself for that: shouldn't have messed with a bigger asshole. _Kate would be better with these girls….Fuck_ … He'd thrown all but two hundred dollars back into the drawer. He couldn't take it if he was leaving Kate with them. He was in complete conflict with this whole situation. He needed to take care of Kate, help her get home, but he knew was spiraling, coming apart at the seams. He needed to get her away from him, but he didn't want to be alone, he needed her with him. She understood… she was the only one who understood.

He'd packed up everything the room. He and Kate had separate bags and he'd been careful to keep her things in her bag and his things in his bag. He'd just slip into the back of the bar and see her, then be on his merry fucking way. The bar was packed a mix of middle-aged tourists and college brats; his criminal ass stood out like a sore thumb.

Kate was on stage with Hannah and Sarah as the three entertained the crowd, but all she was doing was playing the guitar. He should leave, just walk out. Surely traveling with two girls her own age would be better, they would get her home safe. But what if those things came after her? Would she be strong enough to defend herself? She was a great shot, but why hadn't he taught her more hand to hand? He couldn't leave her; it was too dangerous for her to be alone. Who the hell was he kidding? He just didn't want to be…

 _"Oh Lord, Oh Lord, What have I done?_  
 _I've fallen in love with a man on the run_  
 _Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I'm begging you please_  
 _Don't take that sinner from me_  
 _Oh don't take that sinner from me."_

The three girls were harmonizing, but he could hear Kate's voice in the haunting melody. Why had they picked this song? He made sure to keep himself hidden near the back of the bar. He had to leave her. He should have sent her packing after the Twister. _"Do you want some company?"_ Her voice haunted him. He should have said, no and warned her that he was a bastard. His hand twitched at his side, as he watched her play and listened to her sing.

Sarah took the bridge and apparently despite being afraid to look anyone in the eye, she could really sing. Hannah was looking down at her guitar, but Kate's eyes somehow found his as she sang last out the last few lines by herself.

 _"Don't care if he's guilty, don't care if he's not_  
 _He's good and he's bad and he'd all that I've got_  
 _Oh Lord, oh Lord, I'm begging you please_  
 _Don't take that sinner from me_  
 _Oh don't take that sinner from me"_

It was a damn punch to the gut. He knew she was only singing lyrics, and it wasn't even a song she picked, but it felt like she was singing to him. There was this old noir movie, The Lady from Shanghai, Rita Hayworth was in it and he remembered being memorized by her voice. Damned if that's not all he could think about as he looked into her innocent green eyes. He motioned with his head for her to head his way, hoping to god that she was done with the set and they could get the hell out of here. He was fucking bastard.

She was to him in a minute, face flushed, eyes full of light, and her brightest smile, "Not too bad for a church-girl, huh?"

He nodded and grabbed her elbow, "We gotta go."

She looked confused, "Out of the bar or out of this town?"

"Both." He started tugging her along.

"Seth…" She started to argue, but stopped herself and followed in line next to him. "So I am stealing this outfit or are you going to give me time to change?"

"You wanted new clothes." He hurried them along, glancing back to the stage to find Hannah glaring at him. He flipped her off behind his back and he and Kate quick-stepped it back to the motel. He handed her the car keys, "Start it up. I gotta grab the bags."

He grabbed her bag and threw it in the backseat, next to his bag that was already there. He peeled out of the town, the car kicking up gravel. He was silent until the lights from the town faded and they were left the light from the almost full moon.

"You sounded good." He complimented, hitting the scan button on the radio. "You sing in the choir before everything?"

"Yeah, I sang in the choir before everything." Her voice was flat.

"Look we needed to leave in a hurry. I got made casing the exchange." He offered the complete lie as explanation.

"Uh-huh." She folded her arms over chest.

He took a left turn as the road dead-ended and cleared his throat. "Look, I'm sorry that you made friends, and we bailed. You're not in a make-friends kinda life right. You have to be careful who you trust out here. …"

Kate scoffed. "You think I'm mad about Hannah and Sarah? You must think I'm as stupid as you actually are."

"Watch it." He growled.

"I did watch it, Seth, I watched you grab _just_ my bag out of the room." She turned to face him, as she accused. "You were going to leave me. I trusted you and you were gonna leave me!"

He gripped the steering wheel, "Look Princess you…"

"No! You don't get to _Princess_ me." She barked, "Just turn the car around."

"The fuck you mean turn the car around?!" He snarled.

"If you're just gonna abandon me; you could at least do it where I've got a chance to find help."

He pressed his against the pedal, accelerating the car. "I wasn't going to abandon you."

"Don't lie to me." She slammed her hand against the doorframe of the car.

"I'm not lying to you; I'm not gonna just fucking abandon you!" He didn't want to leave her, but damn-it he should. He should turn around…

"You are so full of shit! You packed our bags and only put yours in the car. How is that not getting ready to abandon me?" She accused; her voice cracking. "I trusted you."

Seth slammed on the brake and jerked the car off the road. He bailed out of the car and ran his hands through his hair frustrated as he started to pace. Kate slammed the passenger door as she climbed out and stood about ten feet from him.

"You can't trust me, Kate. I'm a bad guy and I don't…" He looked up at the stars and confessed finally. "Hannah said I should leave you with them and they'd help you and I…I was thinking maybe you'd be better off with someone good, but I couldn't do it. I don't want to leave you, Kate, but maybe I should. If you want to go back, I'll take you back."

The brunette let out a pained sound and crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat. She threw her arms around his neck. "You don't just leave me." Her breath was hot on his neck. "You hear me, Seth Gecko? You don't just leave me. We're in this together. You're the only one that understands."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose into her hair. "I'm sorry, Kate. I thought it would be better."

"Well you're an idiot."

"Never heard that one before." He chuckled, letting her out of the embrace, but didn't move away from her. "You okay?"

"I feel bad about stealing the clothes." She bit her lower lip. She hadn't moved away, this was too close.

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law." He informed her with an unintentional smirk.

"There's a law a thief would have memorized." She hugged him again, catching him off guard.

He looked down at her in his arms, "What's with all the affection? I thought you were mad at me for being an idiot."

"I am." She sighed, nuzzling closer. "But I'm so cold. This dress is thin."

Oh, he noticed how thin the dress was. He could feel not only the heat of her skin, but also her pebbled nipples, under her lace bra. It was time to get some distance between them, "Let's get back on the road, Princess."

She nodded, "Maybe I can sleep in the car."

He walked her back to the car "Didn't get any sleep last night?"

"No." She leaned against the door, and looked up at the sky, "Didn't like my nightmares, switched to coffee."

He nodded and watched the gooseflesh run up her bare arms. "Here." He offered her his jacket and she slipped it on without hesitating.

It wasn't like she was a midget, but she was dwarfed in the jacket, sleeves extending far past her hands, but she shoved her hands in the pockets. "I haven't really been sleeping at all. I'm exhausted."

God, he felt so damn guilty. The whole thing was his fault. If he hadn't kidnapped her and her family they'd be on a beach somewhere. Instead she was teetering on the edge of…

"When I drank the other day, the alcohol helped, I mean I slept but the dream I had…" She continued quietly, he didn't need to see it to know she was blushing. "Does that happen when you drink?"

"I'm a guy, Kate, I don't need alcohol to have a wet dream."

"Uck." She shoved his shoulder.

"Hey, you asked." He chuckled, before clarifying, "It's nothing to make a big deal about." He knew he shouldn't push, but maybe if he acted just bad enough, she'd want distance instead of giving him doe-eyes. "I'm assuming you didn't get religion from your choir-boy, but it's not like you've never gotten yourself off be…" He stopped because her flush rushing over her skin told him, that she hadn't. "Fuck. Seriously?!"

She raised her chin indigent, "I was taught that good girls don't do that."

"Well that explains the teen birth rate in the good state of Texas." He laughed out loud as she smacked his arm. "Ouch, you know for a church-girl, you're awfully violent."

"Says the bank robber." She scuffed the ground with her toe.

"I prefer gentleman thief, actually."

"Like George Clooney in, Ocean's Eleven?" She smirked.

"Clooney sucks; I can't think of single role that he did, that's worth watching or learning from. The original, Ocean's Eleven, was much better." Seth corrected her.

She yawned, her fatigue catching up with her now that her rage had subsided. "You know the movie being thirty years old doesn't automatically make it better."

A car raced by them on the road and they both kept their eyes on it, until it was out of sight. He shifted his gun back into the holster and looked down at the brunette looking up at him. "We should get going."

Her fingers ran down his arm, before gripping his hand tightly. "Would it help?"

Oh, he was not having this conversation with the barely legal girl, on the side of the road in the middle of the Mexican dessert. His brain went into overdrive, trying to think about anything other than what she was asking about. "Yes the drinking helps. It helps me get to sleep and when I'm lucky, it helps me not see my brother all snaked-out and covered in blood. It helps me not see the bank teller he murdered in cold blood. It helps me not remember he lit my fucking father on fire. It helps me forget that I drug you and your family into a bloodbath. It turns off my brain so I can pretend that everything hasn't gone all to hell. It makes me believe I'm not alone…"

His speech was cut off by Kate grabbing the front of his shirt; pushing herself up as she pulled him down and kissing him. The kiss was desperate and a little clumsy, her inexperience showing through. He let her kiss him, but stayed stock-still as his body and brain screamed at his tiny shred of a conscience to shut up that he needed this. _No. No. No. I can't do this… Shouldn't do this…Fuck._

"Please." She pleaded against his lips. "Seth..."

 _Fuck!_ He backed her up against the car door, pinning one hand behind her back as the other tangled into her hair. He returned her kiss, nipping at her bottom lip, and taking advantage of her yelp, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. He led her through the kiss, tilting her face and showing her what it meant to be thoroughly kissed. He pulled back, their heavy breathing slightly out of synch. Her lips her swollen, her eyes wide with want as she tried to kiss him again, but he kissed her cheek, ignoring her sound of protest. He pulled her tighter to him, letting his lips brush her ear, "Kate, I can't…We shouldn't."

"Please, Seth. I need…"

"Kate, this is adrenalin and exhaustion." He was trying so hard to be reasonable, trying to make the right call. The right call was back in town where he should have left her, not kissing her senseless against a car door. He was a thief, but he wasn't stealing anything else from this girl. "You don't really want this." He pulled back to see tears glistening in her eyes.

"I can't sleep, Seth. I'm going crazy. I slept the night after the Twister and after I had that dream, but otherwise I wake-up every hour to two hours. I see my dad dying, I see Scott, and I'm covered in blood and I'm dying. In my dreams, I die and you don't always wake me up."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and he wiped them away, releasing her pinned arm. He hadn't moved away and her chest was pressed against his.

"I need to rest, Seth." Her voice cracked, and he noticed it for the first time the overwhelming exhaustion in her eyes that she tried to keep from him. She drew deep breath and admitted, "I don't know…I mean I've never…" She trailed off, burying her head in his shoulder, so embarrassed he could feel the heat on her cheeks.

"Princess, I don't know what you want from me here." He kissed the side of her head. "I'm not just gonna f…I'm not just gonna have sex with you against the car. There are other ways to help you sleep. Hell I can steal you some allergy medicine that will knock you out."

"I'm allergic." Her voice was muffled, as she explained. "I'm allergic to a lot of medicines." She turned her head moving her lips against his neck, making him stiffen in more than one way. "I'm not asking you to… to um… If you don't want to t…touch me, then maybe you could teach me and I could…um take care of myself."

He groaned and despite all of his protests, minutes ago, he tangled his hand back into her hair and drew her back into a searing kiss. Damn if she wasn't a fast learner at everything, their tongues battling as she tried to get closer to him. He ran one hand down to her waist, then up to her chest, teasing her sensitive flesh through the dress, making her gasp in shock. "The choir boy do this to you?" He didn't mean to growl it out, but he did and she shook her head ever-so-slightly. "Good, nothing to unlearn. Give me your hand."

She complied, eyes wide and he put her hand on the opposite breast that he was touching. She mimicked his motions, biting on her bottom lip, but not breaking eye contact with him.

He was never going to get this image out of his head. He was also going to burn in Hell for this. "It's better without your clothes, but I don't think you want to be naked in the outdoors."

"I have your jacket." She whined, fingers still moving against her breast occasionally brushing against his as they worked in tandem. "I can barely breathe in this dress."

When he had that thought about burning in Hell, he thought he had some years, but apparently she was going to kill him tonight. She starting reaching for the zipper and his poor beaten down conscious had no chance of winning this fight. He moved her hand away and unzipped the dress slowly, allowing his fingers run down her spine. She drew in a sharp breath and gooseflesh pepper over her skin as he pushed the dress to her hips. His plan was to keep the dress there, but Kate had other ideas, shimmying out of the dress and kicking it away. He set his jaw, grinding his teeth together. Her standing there in black lace and his jacket was going to break him. "Me teaching is as far as it goes. You hear me?"

She nodded, wordlessly as her hands drifted back to her chest.

"Shit." He moaned against her neck, kissing and nipping at her neck, unable to help himself. "You are so fucking hot, Kate. Fucking beautiful."

She whined, hips grinding against his. "I need…"

"I know. I got you." He gripped her wrist and trailed her fingers down her stomach. He shifted so she had more freedom to move, but stayed close, in case someone drove by. He slipped her fingers under her lace panties. She gasped against him, her body jumping in response. He moved her hand the same way he had the night he watched her get off and he released her wrist as she found her rhythm, moving against her own fingers.

"Seth..." Her breathless whimper made him want to tear her hand away and drop to his knees, but he stayed still. "Can you kiss me, please?"

His dark eyes met her fevered green ones and he drew her into a zealous kiss. He swallowed her desperate cries as she came apart in his arms. He let her go boneless against him, her breaths ragged, but deep.

He helped her into the car, tucking his jacket around her to keep her covered as he buckled her seatbelt. He retrieved the dress and threw it in the back seat before starting the car back up and starting down the road.

Kate's head was already drooping down to her chest. Her voice was sated and groggy, "My fingers."

"Just wipe it on my jacket. Not the worst thing, I've gotten on it." He chuckled and switched on the radio, needing the distraction. No matter where they ended up tonight it was gonna be long time getting there.

"Gross." She yawned and curled up against the window.

He cleared his throat, "I'll try and get a room with two beds, so you've got some space to yourself."

Kate shook her head, "I'd rather sleep next to you, please."

He tried not to think too much about that, _please_ , as Kate began to snore and he drove aimlessly west.

.:.

The song is Devil's Backbone by the Civil Wars.


	4. Please If We Cross That Final Line

**Disclaimer** : I do not own From Dusk 'Til Dawn, nor am I gaining profit from this story. These characters belong to the authors of their original creation and their re-imagining.

 **Authoress notes:** This could be considered the last chapter...I mean if you don't want to read angst. There are two versions of this chapter the Explicit Version is "Rules of the Mexican Honeymoon" series as the second part of the series, which you can find at Archive of Our Own under the same tile and the same username.

This part is an immediate follow-up to the third part. I hope you enjoy this. MATURE content warning... I mean for real... Kate learns to pickpocket and some other things. Lines are definitely crossed here.

 **Please; If We Cross That Final Line**

The two most common ways for people to deal with trauma were rise and fall. Seth wanted to say that he was the type of guy that pulled himself up by his own bootstraps when the world knocked him on his ass. Truth was, without someone to balance him out, he always fell to rock-fucking-bottom before he could get any forward momentum. He'd learned to take pain and keep his head down; the beatings went quicker, when he kept his damn mouth shut. He was spiraling and he was about to do something very, very bad if he couldn't get his head on fucking straight. His fingers twitched as he remembered Vegas with Vanessa, doing a line of coke off her chest before a job and Richie kicking his ass, for being doped on the clock. He was a mess then and made things an even messier later, divorcing Vanessa as a precaution before running that job on Jim. That job cost him five years, five fucking years. And this job… This 30-million-dollar job that had just been handed to him? This job cost him his only chance at happiness, his brother and maybe his own fucking sanity. He glanced at the girl in the passenger seat, moonlight reflecting off her brown hair and bare white thighs. She was still only wearing his jacket over her bra and panties and damn it… _Do not think about the barely legal girl in black lace_.

Kate was the type of person that thought she was weak, but she wasn't. She was a phoenix rising from the damn ashes. She'd lost just as much, if not more than he had and yet, there she was still full of light, sitting next to him in the dark. She adapted to life the road, never really complaining, just making the best of the situation. She learned every skill he taught her with either ease or determination; she just didn't quit. She didn't care if it was hard or frustrating; she was going to learn the things that would help her survive. She was painfully optimistic, but not stupid about it. She wanted to believe the best of people, but still watched his back. She calmly handled stressful situations with a smile and a grace that he was painfully unaccustomed to. It should have scared him more to have a church-girl watching his back, but he was oddly calm in her presence _sometimes_. He hated to admit it, but she was taking care of him, just as much as he was taking care of her. That back and forth care, felt normal and natural, it made her feel like a partner…but, he wasn't going to let himself think of her that way it wasn't right.

He drove for hours, through a couple of crappy towns, but finally decided to stop when he caught a whiff of ocean air. Had they really gotten that far west? He found a motel on the beach, which looked decidedly more worn down, considering it was within sight of a high priced resort. He heard loud pop/rap/r&b, or whatever was passing for music nowadays, coming from the resort, which meant stupid college kids, American college kids. _Oh great, just what he wanted to deal with_. He made sure Kate was fully covered before checking in at the front desk.

He spent an extra twenty on the room, because it had a view of the ocean and because why the fuck not; it had a patio and she'd be able to walk down to the ocean in the morning. They could put their toes in the sand while they ate breakfast and maybe, maybe that's a solid plan. He didn't necessarily want to stop, but it was probably what they needed. They'd gone nonstop since the Twister, never anywhere for more than three days and other than quiet conversations after nightmares they didn't talk about it. They could lay low for few days, enjoy the water and relax, try to forget. _Fuck, if he's thinking like this, he needs to get his own fucking head on straight._ He needed to count how much cash they have left, see if they could manage a few quiet days. He pulled the car into the back part of the lot and looked around before opening the passenger door.

As he picked up the sleeping girl, she cuddled into his jacket, and he was instantly glad she'd pulled it closed, because black lace, too much skin, and his jacket…it was still doing things to him. It made him think about things that he should not be thinking about. She molded against him, humming contently, the fingers of her free hand curled into the fabric of his shirt. He managed to get her into the room and since there was only one bed, he laid her on the side farthest from the door and glanced down at her unfocused eyes.

"I'm gonna go grab you something to sleep in, okay?" He informed her and she nodded, laying her head back down. He knew was going to have to wake her up again when he got back with the bags. He needed to get her out of his jacket…he just really needed her not in his clothes. It took all his self-control not to snap a picture of her right now. Because there were all these weird memories running through his head about the girls he's been with before and how they looked in his clothes and while they looked good…Kate in nothing but skimpy black lace in his jacket, well it's like a Playboy spread to a guy doing time. _What the hell was wrong with him?_

He shook his head to clear the image and set their bags, which he retrieved from the car, in the chair that he shoved under the door handle. He glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand: 2:45, which was about what he expected. He knew Kate would be up about 6, but he was hoping she'd show him a little mercy and let him sleep. Of course she'd wake him for a least a little bit, because she'd want to know where they ended for the night. He fished a pair of her shorts and a t-shirt out her bag and paced back up her.

"Hey." He nudged her shoulder, and Kate sat up, still not fully awake. His jacket slipped off one of her shoulders and she blinked up at him, trying to figure out what was happening. "Get changed and go back to sleep. I gotta piss and I'll be right back."

He waited in the bathroom for a few extra minutes, wanted to make sure that she was fully clothed. He left the lights off, but the street light was enough to highlight the room. His jacket was sitting on the end of the bed with her bra and underwear folded on top of it. He drew a deep breath, thinking maybe karma was using Kate as a torture device. He set the clothes on top of the bags before stripping down to his boxers and tank-top. He made sure the air conditioner was on and crawled into bed on the opposite side as Kate, gun under his pillow.

She shifted and whispered, "Please."

He ground his teeth together, but scooted closer to her. Kate grabbed his arm, laying it over her stomach. "Kate."

"You're warm." She murmured into the pillow.

He let himself doze off and really hoped that his hands wouldn't be somewhere that they shouldn't be in the morning.

.:.

He felt eyes on him when he woke up. Kate was sitting at the table, pen on a notebook, but she was looking at him. He grumbled and ran a hand over his face.

"You want coffee?" She questioned.

He mumbled an affirmative and climbed out of bed, crashing into the other chair at the table and accepted the offered styrofoam cup.

"There's breakfast in that container." She pushed it towards him, "And before you get huffy, I got from the lobby and since it was free I pocketed quite a bit. But the coffee is…"

"Shit." Seth nearly spit out the sip he'd taken. "Is there actual gravel in that?"

"I'm honestly not sure, but it's already 10, so we can go get coffee from somewhere else." She suggested, but went back to scribbling in the notebook.

"Was this coffee free?" He opened the container and took a bite of the eggs and peppers; _did every meal this country require peppers_?

"Yes."

He choked down another sip, "I'll suffer then."

"Speaking of suffering." Kate shook her pen at him, "You left my toothbrush at the other hotel, but stole all of the make-up that I borrowed from Hannah and Sarah. How did that happen?"

He shrugged, "Not sure. I just shoved everything from the counter into that plastic bag that you put your shower stuff in, musta missed it somehow. You can use mine."

"Uck. Hard pass." She crinkled up her nose, "But since you are in a giving mood this morning..."

Well he hated where this conversation was going already. When she asked for something before he was fully awake, meant she wanted him to teach something that he shouldn't be teaching her, namely crime. "You make friends already? Got another gig?" He provoked, trying to get a rise out of her and to distract her.

"Ha ha. No, and I didn't get paid for that one, since we hightailed it last night." She fidgeted with the pen, for a few seconds before laying it down. "How far did we drive?"

"A few hours, I wasn't paying attention. There were other things on my mind."

Kate blushed to her hairline, "Sorry, I thought I was covered and didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…"

"I was thinking about how to get us papers." He cut off her embarrassed rant and because he needed some distance between them, he continued as nonchalantly as possible. "No offense Princess, but you're not _that_ distracting."

Hurt flashed in her eyes, "But you said...I mean you called me…"

"Pillow talk; it's more than a crappy pop song that you torment me with." He gulped down more of the awful coffee, ignoring the burn because he kinda deserved it. "Kate, I was helping you, that's all that was. That's as far as any of this," He motioned between them, "goes, okay?"

"Yeah." She bit her lip and he thought she'd just drop whatever her request was going to be, but she cleared her throat demanding. "I need to learn to pick someone's pocket."

"Why?"

"Because that resort is having a huge party tonight and it's gonna be all drunk, college kids with cash. I could make us some real money." She explained.

"Oh you're going to be making us this money?" He knew he sounded like a jackass. But it wasn't that he thought she couldn't do it; it was that he knew she could, and he didn't want her to.

"It needs to be me. You'd stick out like a sore thumb." She showed him the little drawing she'd made of the courtyard. "There are two exit/entrances into the patio area where they are throwing the party. One of them is in the interior off the lobby and the other one is off the exterior near the alley, guests use it to smoke away from the pool."

"Any cameras?" Begrudging impressed with what she'd accomplished while he was sleeping.

"I'm not sure."

"Recon fail." He teased, before noticing that her face fell, "I'm kidding, Kate. This is pretty good for your first solo recon. What else you got?"

"The party is gonna have a DJ, free booze, some alcohol promotion I guess, and the wait-staff wears white button-ups and black slacks, which leads me to what I need you to do. Providing that I can actually learn to pickpocket,"

"Picking pockets has never been my strongest skill, but we can go through the basics." He folded his arms over his chest, "But why I am going in there to pretending to work?"

"I need clothes for the party. There's a laundry service on-site with a 24 hour turnaround time. So I figure you can steal a bag of clothes and I can have something to wear that'll let me blend in."

"So you need this before you go in tonight?"

Kate nodded as he looked down at her little sketch again, if he went in, and snagged her some clothes, he'd be able to fill in the blanks.

He stood up and grabbed his wallet off the table, "Okay, up on your feet." She got up and he handed her his wallet, "Back pocket, Princess."

She complied and smirked at him, "You think you're gonna get this back without me noticing?"

He pushed into her space, grabbing her elbow, "Thing about picking someone's pocket, Kate, is you either need to be really good," His other hand already pinched his wallet back between two fingers and he slid it out slow as he informed her, "or really distracting," He handed her back the wallet and winked at her shocked expression.

"I felt that." She huffed, refusing to be impressed.

"But not enough to realize you should stop me." He walked over to their bags and pulled out the watch that he'd stolen two towns over but hadn't pawned yet. "Put this on." Again Kate complied without word, but her eyes focused on every move he made. "Watches aren't super hard, but you have to get closer." He put his hand on her bicep, and skimmed his fingers down her arm, past her elbow and continued slow and steady until he reached the clasp of the watch. "Are you watching? Can you feel where my fingers are?" He was close enough that he knew she could feel his breath on her skin, he watched her swallow. His middle finger flicked the clasp open, but his eyes never left hers, "And that's," he rolled the watch onto his own wrist, "how you steal a watch."

She nodded and didn't move or look away. "I wanna try." She inclined her head to one side, thinking it through, as her fingers grazed his elbow.

"Too light." His voice was lower than then he intended it to be, "If you're taking my watch, I'm gonna feel something, so make sure I feel it."

Her fingers flexed against his skin, blush creeping back into her cheeks.

"Too much. Now I think your flirting."

Her brows furrowed, "How do I know how much pressure to use?"

He chuckled, "Think of it like a tomato. Too much pressure and you get sauce, not enough and slips through your fingers." He chuckled again not able to help himself.

"What's so funny?" She was still nervous with him so close; he imagined with what happened last night that her heart was going like a hummingbird's right now. "I don't want you laughing at me."

"I'm not." He informed her, meeting her eyes again. "It's just how my Uncle Eddie, described it when he tried to teach my brother how to lift."

"Your brother isn't good at this?" Her question was innocent enough.

"See how close we are?" He asked and when she nodded, he explained, "He doesn't…didn't do this close." He realized that he was talking about Richie and that was not something he want…

"Got it." Kate interrupted his thought jangling the watch on her own wrist.

He flashed her a real smile, cause damn, "Nice work, Princess. Let's try the wallet now."

They ran walk-bys for over an hour pacing the small space in the motel room, each time Kate getting a little better. She turned the radio on and started timing her lifts to the tempo of the music. He explained that lifting wallets would be easier on the dance floor, more bodies and more contact.

"Show me." She clicked her music app to something with a faster beat and held her hand out for his wallet. She slid it into her back pocket and glided back into his space. "Can you even dance?"

"Can you?" He challenged back.

"A little." She tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Well good news," He pulled her against him, "you only need to know a little. This is probably gonna be a bump and grind kinda thing and _that_ , I can teach you." His hands moved to her hips, forcing her to move to the beat, one hand palming for the wallet. _Oh shit…_

"Wallet's not in that pocket." Kate breathed out, her hand pressing against his chest.

"Sorry." He moved his hand back to her hipbone. He felt like an idiot, one for feeling her up and two for the fact that he hadn't immediately stopped. "Nice thing for you, no guy's gonna get mad at you for grabbing ass."

"I hope not."

He showed her the wallet that he'd gotten from her and slipped it into his own pocket. "Let's see what you got."

"What if I do grab that wrong side?" She bit her lip, barely keeping in motion.

"Don't lose your rhythm." He chided, and before instructing her. "You grab the wrong side, just play drunk and giggle."

She moved against him, swaying her hips to the beat, and grinding against him as she moved in a circle around him. She got back in front of him, holding the wallet triumphantly, before throwing her arms over his shoulders. Her breath was warm on his neck as she whispered, "Score one for the student."

Okay he needed some distance; right now. He disentangled himself from Kate and stepped back. "Nice work, Kid." He held his hand out for his wallet. "I should probably go steal your costume."

"Oh, oh yeah." Her voice was shaky and he pretended not to know why. "I need to grab a few things from town, like a toothbrush. Can I have twenty?"

"Just take the hundred, I owe you for missing your little payout." I mean technically he stole two hundred from Hannah and Sarah, so she didn't really miss that payout, but she did not need to know that. He took his wallet back after she retrieved the money from it. "Anything specific you want me to look for, when I'm raiding the laundry room?"

"Just girl's clothes. I can work with anything size 4-8, but 2 and lower are way too small. That dress from Sarah was a 4, so 5 or 6 would really be perfect, or small to medium." He must have looked confused, because she shook her head. "Just look at the tags find those sizes and take the bag."

"I think I can handle that. Meet back here in an hour?"

.:.

He was watching her from the outside of the fence, hidden in the shadow of the alleyway and lighting his third cigarette since she'd gone in there a little over 20 minutes ago. She was practically doing a thief's dance, lifting wallets as she moved on the crowded dance floor, like she'd been doing it her whole life. He'd almost called the whole thing off, when she came out of the bathroom in her 'costume.' He hadn't said a thing, but the white string bikini paired with the sheer emerald top and ankle length skirt with a slit nearly up to her hip, was going to get everyone's attention. Her make-up was over the top too, glittery eye-shadow and dark-red lips made her look older than she was.

He taught her to chase a shot with a beer, aka empty that beer fast and spit the shots you get handed into the bottle. She laughed, saying that it was a good idea, because she was nervous to do this sober as it was. The only problem was she needed to pass for drunk, just in case, so he poured her a shot and motioned to her chest. Kate's eyebrow arched and he explained that he wanted her to splash herself with the tequila so anyone who got close to her, would smell it. She pulled off the top and splashed her bare skin and the bikini top with the liquor, letting it dry before she pulled the shirt back on. He'd made himself busy, by writing out her timetable and _not_ looking at her until she pulled that top back on.

He'd set her time limit, at the 45 minute mark she was to be walking her pretty little ass out of that party. _"The first ten minutes you just walk around and mingle, look like you belong there. After that you start running it, but don't stay longer than the forty-five we decided on. Idiots get caught because they overstay their welcome. I'll be in the alley watching. If I text you anything, you go immediately. And if you get a bad feeling or you're not sure, just call it and leave. No shame in calling a job if something's off."_ She'd given him a mock salute after his speech and finished her hair.

A blonde asshole looped Kate around the middle and spun her around, but she held her own, letting out a giggle instead getting riled. The guy pressed himself against Kate's back, his hands wandering under her shirt and Seth clenched his fist. She rolled with it, dancing with him, but moving his hands to her hips as she found her rhythm with the music. Kate spun herself around the asshole and lifted the idiot's wallet the same way she'd gotten his in the hotel room. The guy tried to get back into Kate's space, but she flattened her hands against his chest and pointed to the bar. The skirt she was wearing caught the breeze and it fluttered up, giving a free peek of her thighs. She smoothed it out and followed the guy to the bar clinking the shot with him and 'chasing' it with the beer bottle she'd kept tabs on all night. She must have told him she needed to go to the bathroom, because she slipped away from the bar and disappeared for a few minutes.

KF: **Got the money & cards, but what do I with the wallets? They take up space in my purse.**

He glanced down at the text that she sent him and answered back. SG: **Dump 'em in the bathroom trash. Wrap 'em in paper. You've got 10mins.**

KF: **15\. I'm watching the clock.**

He rolled his eyes, of course she was watching the clock. His thief in training had an eye for the details. _Wait,_ his _thief?_ Well that mental slip was not what he needed right now.

He watched her move along the back wall, fingers picking through purses and wallets left on tables. His eyes scanned the room, making sure that no one else was watching her, because that was the other thing that could get you caught. You needed more than one pair of eyes when you had a room full of people. Kate was moving towards the exit, when a girl started talking to her pointing out the outfit that Kate was wearing. He winced, waiting for somehow this girl to be the ex-owner of the outfit, but the two girls started laughing and Kate waved goodbye. She chatted up one of the workers at the pool and he handed her a pair of towels with a smile.

She was heading towards the gate, triumphant smirk on her face, as he lit his fourth cigarette. All he could think about was how she needed to stay focused, too easy to get caught on the exit. Her hand reached the latch on the gate when the blonde that grabbed her earlier called out.

"Hey girl, where are you going?" He stepped closer to her, obviously drunk, "You can't leave, my heart'll break."

The kid grabbed Kate's arm, stopping her in her tracks, but she just giggled, playing tipsy. "Oh, I'm sure you'll survive, handsome."

She tried to step away, but he tightened his grip on her arm, Seth saw Kate wince at the pressure.

"Hey." Seth barked out a warning and instantly cursed internally. He was not supposed to expose himself, but since the kid was now staring at him, and trying to look tough, Seth continued, "The pretty little thing's mine; hands off."

"You really with this guy?" The blonde arched his eyebrow and leaned into Kate's space.

"I'll be right there." Kate called out Seth, before running her hand up the blonde's arm and letting out a flirty laugh, "He's paying for the trip; can't mess with my meal ticket."

"I'll buy you whatever you want. Come up to my room with me."

The kid either was drunk enough that he thought that Seth couldn't hear him or he didn't care. Seth was about to rip that gate off its damn hinges and slug this spoiled brat, but before he could react, Kate caused his jaw to drop.

"He's a one and done." Her tone was pure velvet.

 _Fucking excuse you, Princess?! Who the hell was this girl and what had she done with the preacher's daughter_? _For the record,_ _ **not**_ _an accurate statement, Kate._

She inclined her head, sultry smile gracing those painted red lips. "He'll be out by midnight. What's your room number?"

"254." The kid grinned at Kate and pulled her in for a kiss, before she could stop him.

Seth turned away, she'd set this play and like it or not he had to back her. He was livid, seeing straight red right now. He was ready for a damn drink and to be away from this shitty music. But honestly nothing would make him happier then punching the smirk off that asshole's face.

The gate clicked opened and closed and Kate's heels clacked up to him. She snatched the cigarette from him and took a quick drag on it, before giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Hi _Daddy_ , miss me?"

He caught Kate off guard as he pulled her into a dizzy kiss, making damn sure that little shit caught her reaction to being actually kissed. Her eyes were wide when he pulled back and he grabbed the cancer stick back from her, stomping it out with his foot as they started back to the motel. He was desperately trying to ignore his reaction to her 'daddy' moniker for him and the urge to return to the party to beat the shit out of that kid. He couldn't decide which one of those things was more wrong.

"He was such an asshole." Kate slipped her arm around his waist and hurried to keep up with his pace. "Can you maybe not double-time it right now? These are not running shoes and I really don't think anyone is following us."

"Just keep up." Seth grumbled, but slowed slightly, "We still need to be careful, just in case. Can't believe that place didn't have cameras. We'll check out your take when we get back to the room."

"Hang on." She pulled on his hand dragging him into the bodega that was just before their motel.

"What?" He was not in the mood for people right now. He was going to complain more, but he looked at her flushed, happy face and realized that this was her first real job and she was in the middle of the rush of her lifetime. So he let her pull him along without a fight, "What do you need, Kate?"

"I'm hungry." She admitted, then flashed him a sly smile, "and we should celebrate. Pick a good bottle of tequila, my treat."

"It mostly tastes the same." He argued, but she had already disappeared into the aisles. He shot the clerk a back-off look, since the old man's eyes lingered on Kate a little too long. He pointed out the bottle of silver tequila and the clerk pulled it down for him.

Kate sauntered back up to him, an assortment of snacks in her hands. "Oh crap, I forgot water, can you grab us a gallon? It's back there." She motioned with her head and he nodded as he walked by her.

He grabbed the water and the clerk had the rest of the items bagged up by the time he got back with the jug. The clerk shot him a long look, before looking at Kate, who paid him, grinning the whole time and thanking him in Spanish. They walked back out into the night air and he drew a deep breath. Kate toed off her shoes as soon as they hit the beach at the back of the motel.

He was trailing behind her, and she looked back at him over her shoulder. "You aren't still mad about that stupid kid are you?"

"No, I'm good." He noticed that she wasn't walking towards the room. "Where are you off to? Room's this way."

"Are you kidding? I feel like I could run a marathon." She spun in a little circle, skirt swirling around her. "This is such a rush."

He shook his head, he'd created a monster. "Kate…"

"We need to drink to a job well done." She was still walking towards the ocean. "I want to sit on the beach." She held up the towels that she'd snagged from the resort. "I know it's not as exciting as a strip joint, but come on, _please_."

He sighed and motioned for her to keep walking.

She let out an excited whoop, stopping for a second to drop the towels and her purse in a heap, before practically prancing down to the water. He watched her gather up the skirt and splash around in the water laughing and squealing excitedly. The moon was bright enough for him to keep a good eye on her and he set the bag in the sand before laying out one of the towels.

"Seth!" Kate called out motioned for him to come join her. "It feels like heaven."

He wanted to say no. He wanted to holler at her to settle down and quit being so loud. But he didn't do either of those things, instead he pulled off his shoes and socks and snagged the bottle of tequila as he made his way down to Kate. He had this memory of him and Richie hooting and hollering like idiots after their first successful job on replay in his head. He just couldn't take this moment away from Kate. He pulled the cork on the bottle as Kate splashed up to him.

"First drink is yours, Princess." He handed her the bottle.

She gave him a wild grin and took a swig off the bottle, making a face and choking a bit. "Ugh, you're right, it all tastes pretty much the same."

"To your first success job." He tipped the bottle to her, then took a drink himself. The tequila, to someone who drank as much as he did, had a nice smooth taste, almost no burn. Kate took the bottle back immediately and took another swallow, seeming determined to celebrate the way she was supposed to. He smirked and took another drink after she handed it back, getting drunk with her was a terrible idea... But the water felt amazing and he hated to admit it, but the whole situation felt good.

Kate poked him in the chest, "So how did you celebrate the jobs you did before?"

"You pretty much saw it, minus the hostage family and the monsters." He took another drink, trying to focus on the good parts of those memories.

"So just strip clubs and drinking? Seems boring, how did you sit still?" Kate took the bottle back and gulped her third drink.

"Kate, when you pay a girl 1500 for a lap dance, you normally get a blow job out of the deal, at least." He laughed as Kate wrinkled her nose and pointed out, "You wanted to know." As he took his fourth drink, she grabbed his belt loops and tugged him forward, deeper into the water. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"You're smiling; I like your smile. Isn't this great? I feel happy right now." She kept moving them further into the water. "I think we've earned a little happy. Don't you?"

He thought she was going to kiss him again, like she had at the car last night, but she grabbed the bottle and took another drink. "You're going a little fast there." He warned. "We should eat something."

"One more minute." Kate requested as she closed her eyes, letting the waves rock them side to side. She lost her footing and Seth looped his arm around her waist and kept her upright, her fingers curling into the fabric of his black henley.

"You good, Princess?" He asked into her hair, inhaling the scent of the coconut shampoo she'd picked up in town.

"So good." She murmured, her lips brushing against the exposed skin near his collarbone.

He stiffened at the contact, it had been so long and it felt like even longer… She was so soft in his arms, so inviting, and so something that he just didn't deserve.

"You're right, we should eat." She relented and they made their way back up to the towel he'd laid out. She shimmed out of the skirt before sitting down, and when she caught him looking, she shrugged. "It was wet."

He watched her pick through the bag until she found the bag of Adobadas and took a handful, before offering him the bag. The chips were spicy, but the tequila would even that out for him. She also fished out the bag of Obleas, he'd learned early on that she had a thing for caramel flavored anything.

He was trying not to stare at her but that opaque green top left little to the imagination and his fingers twitched as the thought of untying the knots of her bikini. He shouldn't have drank so much, so fast. He needed to distract himself. "How much you think you got?" He questioned through a mouthful of chips.

Kate was opening the package in her hands, "At least five."

"Really?"

"Yeah, a bunch of cash in some of the wallets. I stopped counting; I was getting too jumpy."

He nodded and took another swig of the tequila, jamming the bottle into the sand after the drink. "You looked like a pro, thief's dance and all."

"Thief's dance?" Kate questioned, slipping one of the caramel treats past her lips.

"It's something my Uncle Eddie used to say about a talented pickpocket. They moved through a crowd, with their own rhythm so…"

"Thief's dance." She finished his train of thought, before musing, "That makes it sound so elegant and pretty."

"You are." It was out before he could stop himself and he cleared his throat, "I mean it was pretty, your dance, it was good; you did good."

Kate nodded and picked up her purse. "I have a present for you."

"You stole me a present, huh?" He smirked and was kinda grateful that she got distracted from the pretty comment. _Thank you tequila, for giving people the inability to focus._ He felt cool metal slide up and over his hand, her fingers lingering on the back of his hand. She was on her knees, leaning almost casually against his leg. He looked down at the watch and turned it so he could see it better in the moonlight. "You stole me a fucking Rolex, nice work, Princess. This is…"

"The asshole's." Kate trailed a single finger up to his elbow and back down to the watch. Her smirk was nothing short of deviant, "He stole a kiss; I stole his watch."

"Seems fair." He nodded, "Not a bad trophy for your first run, but you should have grabbed something for yourself." He tapped her nose trying to be playful, lessen the stifling tension that was building.

"I just wanted to prove to you that I could do it." She folded her arms on top of his knee and leaned on them, resting her chin on her arms. "Pull my weight."

"Hey, you don't need to do this shit." He touched her cheek, even though it was a bad idea. "My job to take care of us, not yours."

She leaned into his touch, "We should just take care of each other. You know, like partners."

He looked out over the ocean and mulled over her statement. She was certainly capable of handling herself, but training her to the level he was at was gonna be a hell of an ordeal… _Wait, was he actually rationalizing training Kate into a full time thief?_ What the hell was wrong with him? He couldn't just exchange Kate for his brother, that wasn't how it worked. And yet...

"What was your first job?" A single, delicate finger traced a lazy pattern just over his knee.

Her question caught him off guard, and he was answering before he could stop himself. "My brother and I worked at this burger joint when we were teenagers." He lit a cigarette and took a drag from it. "The manager was an asshole, always riding us about one thing or another, but this one night he's all over us about getting the end-of-night shit done faster, 'cause he's got a hot date or something. Finally he just comes up to my brother, who's cleaning off the burners and asks him if he's smart enough to turn a key and lock up, which obviously Richie didn't appreciate but he says yes. So the manager leaves, and we're finishing up, and I mutter about how we should steal the money out of the safe, just to fuck him over, ya know. And Richie, says he can crack it, but we've got to figure out the cameras. And it was like damn, could we really pull this off? Then we're just moving through it, ya know, like we'd done a million times. I pick the lock to the manager's office, just to see how the cameras are recording." Seth barked out a laugh at the memory.

"What?" Kate prodded.

"Apparently he had a thing bending girls over on his desk, trash can had about a dozen condoms in it, but more importantly the cameras were off. I guess they worked together, so if you turned one off they all went dark. I tell Richie, he goes to our car, grabs this stethoscope, and starts working on cracking it. And I'm yammering, going on about how this is gonna be our first score and he's yelling at me to shut-up so he can think straight and all of sudden: click... He opens the door and we're just staring at the money like, holy shit. It was just short of two grand, but we didn't really care about how much…"

"Just that you did it."

"Exactly! So we finished cleaning up the place, because _I_ want to make sure it looks like we didn't do it. We leave and make sure the doors are unlocked. Because without the cameras there's no way to prove that we cracked the safe, just that we weren't smart enough to lock the doors. Went to this liquor store and paid some bum to buy us a bottle of hooch and a pack of smokes. We drove out to this lake we used to hang out at, got drunk, and laughed about how we could steal anything. That's how the Gecko brothers really got started. Our… my first real job." He got quiet at the end of his story, remembering was a bitch sometimes. He cleared his throat and took another drag from the cigarette, as he reached for the bottle. "What about you?"

"What about me?" She was still leaning on him staying in his space, buzzed for sure, but less drunk then he thought she'd be. "You saw my first job. It just happened."

"Just tell me something." He took a drink and offered it to her.

"Like a confession?" She arched her eyebrow.

He shook his head, "Naw, just a good memory. Something happy."

"Um… I won a state shooting competition last July." She went back to tracing patterns on his leg, "It was just before my birthday. I've shot skeet my whole life and I…" She trailed off and glared at him. "What?"

"You can shoot?" He was sure his mouth was hanging open.

She pointed at herself, "Preacher's daughter. Texas. That basically means I got a gun as soon as I could walk. Daddy took me to the range once and I had a knack for it. So I started shooting competitively." She reached by him and grabbed another caramel wafer. "I shot skeet, so I'm pretty good with a rifle. I think daddy liked it, because he thought it would scare the boys away. Not so much, stole a kiss after winning states."

"Preacher's daughter strikes again." He chuckled as she finally took the bottle from him. "This is I gotta hear."

"Not much to it, there was this boy," She averted her eyes, but explained, "I was competing against. He told me that I had eyes like emeralds; don't laugh." She shook her finger at him. "I think he was trying to throw me off my game. Anyway, after I won I strutted up to him and asked him if he still thought I had emerald eyes, and when he said yes, I kissed him. End of it really." She shrugged; trying to play it off like it wasn't anything important. But he knew it was important, as he watched her play with the bottle in her hands. "I just thought that I should decide when my first kiss should be, not wait around for some boy. I was sixteen, almost seventeen and never been kissed…"

He choked on the cigarette and put it out in the sand.

"I'm sure you were doing more things then kissing at sixteen." She uncorked the bottle and took a drink giving him that epic 'side-eye' that he'd been victim to since they'd met.

"I told you what I was doing at sixteen: robbing fast food joints. Think I had time for girls? I was planning my criminal career path." He chuckled.

Kate groaned and rolled her eyes dramatically.

"What? You doubting my single-mindedness?" He poked her arm.

"Something like that." She recorked the bottle and moved off him, leaning back, resting on her elbows, face upturned to the moonlight. "At least you know I that can shoot so I've got another marketable skill. You could be stuck with worse."

He rubbed his hands over his eyes. "Kate, honestly, I don't think there's much better, I could be stuck with all things considered. You leaned to pickpocket and pulled off a job in less than 12 hours, it's damn impressive."

"So I do impressive work, huh?" She teased him, pushing at his leg with her painted toes.

"You're impressive." He stood up and offered her his hand, "We should figure out how impressive. Let's go back and count up your take."

She held his hand for a moment after she got up on her feet, before gathering up her purse and their discarded clothing, while he grabbed the towels and bag of snacks.

"Hey, I meant to ask you, what was with the sugar daddy bit that you played with the kid? Where'd that all come from?" He threw the towel over his shoulder, so he'd have a free hand, just in case.

"I knew you were worked up about what I said." She teased, giving his shoulder a light shove. "Your poor male ego, huh?"

He scoffed and started up the beach with her walking next to him. "One, I don't really care what you said to that asshole; two, you can't bruise my ego, when your comment is way off base; and three, I was mad about him laying hands on you and nothing else."

"Is that why you kissed me?" She queried, grabbing his free hand bringing them both to a stop.

He was going to say something, not sure what he was going to say, but he was going to say something. Anything that might distract her or not force him to tell her why he'd gone off the deep end and kissed her, when the sound of sirens in the direction of the resort made both of them jump. "Shit. Move." He snapped and they raced up the rest of the way to the room, slamming the door behind them. "Keep the lights off." He ordered.

He was looking out the window, as Kate took everything out of his hands, so he could draw out his gun. The siren sound got closer, then faded in the distance. He set the gun on AC unit and banged the back of his head against the closed door. "Just passing by, but we should probably leave in the morning." He kept his eyes closed drawing a deep breath to calm down from what was basically a jump scare.

He felt Kate move in front of him, her fingers tracing down the back of his arm until she reached his new watch. He ground his teeth together as she moved his hand to her hip and she shivered as the metal rubbed against her skin. "Seth," her voice was barely audible, "Why did you kiss me?"

He looked down at her and he wanted to touch her, but he instead kept the hand what wasn't on her hip, flat on the door. "Just don't like people pawing on you. Jealous I guess."

"Possessive." She countered, her fingers making their way up his neck. "Jealous is when you want something that _isn't_ yours and possessive is when you want no one to touch what _is_ yours."

His finger nails scraped against the door, and he attempted to move the hand that was on her hip, but she covered it with hers, holding it in place. "Kate, you…"

"I want you." Her green eyes were clear as she pushed herself up on tiptoe. She brushed her lips over his, "Seth, I want you to touch me…" His hand gripped her hip, whether it was to stop her or encourage her, he wasn't sure. "…touch me, while you're wearing the watch that I _stole_ for you from the _boy_ that dared to lay hands on the pretty little thing, that's so very, clearly yours."

So much for that self-control he'd been trying to hold onto, he tangled his fingers into her hair and forced his tongue past her lips. The kiss was lust-filled, tittering on the edge of violent and Kate moaned into his mouth gripping his shirt, trying to get closer. He could feel gooseflesh run up her skin, as his hand moved from her hip to grab her ass, kneading the flesh beneath the barely-there swimsuit. "We shouldn't do this." He breathed out, breaking their kiss, and as he rained open mouthed kisses down her neck. She arched into his touch as he nipped at the edge of her top, suckling on the skin near her collarbone.

Her hands were frantic untucking his shirt, nails scraping over his chest, making him hiss against her skin.

He pulled away from her so he could tear off his shirt and flip their positions, pressing her against the door. He moved his hands under her shirt, fingers skimming over her stomach and up to her ribcage. He needed to slow this down; _he_ needed to slow down. He was not fucking her against the door, especially if she was a virgin. A quicky against a hotel door was no way to lose your virginity; he was going to make sure that she enjoyed herself. Eddie used to tell him: if you can't be good; be good at something. Her nails dug into his shoulder, as she breathlessly cried out his name. He kissed his way back up her throat, running his tongue around the shell of her ear. "Killing me..."

She pulled him down for another wild kiss, her tongue battling with his, teeth nibbling at his lower lip.

He groaned as she tried to grind against him, get more friction; her fingers tugging on his belt-loops. "It's not a race, Princess. I'll get you there." He pledged as he kissed the corner of her mouth. His fingers found the bottom of her shirt and he looked at her, getting a nod, before rolling it up her body and tossing it somewhere behind them.

Pressing against her in nothing but that white bikini, made him pause to look at her: heaving for air, mussed hair and swollen lips, it was almost too much. "You're beautiful."

"More pillow talk?" She challenged looking up at him.

"No, just being honest. I was trying to get some distance between us… because we really shouldn't… I shouldn't..." He kept one hand on her hip and let one hand wander down her thigh. "Been trying to do the right thing, keep my hands off you."

"I don't want you keep your hands off me. I've been wanting you to touch me." She grabbed his wandering hand and moved it closer to the junction between her thighs. "Seth, please don't make me beg."

He kissed her again, this time slowing it down, drinking her in as he ran his fingers along the top of her bikini bottoms. He traced a single finger down, slipping it under the fabric. "Have this one your mind for a while?"

She whined, and turned slightly to give him better access, "I thought of you while I was _dancing_." She hooked her fingers in his pocket, keeping him close, as she admitted, "Every pocket I picked; every watch I lifted. I was dancing for _you_."

"Jesus Christ, Kate." He cursed against her temple, before vowing, "Gonna make this so good for you." He moved his finger in her most intimate place and she gasped in response. _Hell if he kept this up she was gonna let go already_. He needed to taste her; wanted to get her off in a _religious_ fashion, true worship.

He leaned his forehead against hers as he undid the knots of her bottoms and pulled the fabric away leaving her bare. She gasped in surprise and he rubbed his thumbs in slow circles over her hipbones. He bumped her nose with his to make sure he had her attention, "I'm going to show you what I wanted to do to you last night." He dropped to his knees, exploring her with only his tongue.

Kate was trying to move against him, but he pressed one of his hands to her stomach, pinning her to the door. She whispered a string of obscenities as her fingers curled into his hair.

He marveled at how tight she was, "This first one's gonna hit you hard and fast…You're so wound up." He breathed into her, as her body shook with anticipation. He lapped at her with intent, drawing her to the edge as she whispered out his name. "Just let go baby-girl." He let her move against his tongue and fingers, her hands tugging on his hair as she came apart.

He kissed her shaking legs, one long kiss on each thigh, than he kissed her stomach. He pulled himself up to his feet gathering her into his arms. He grabbed her chin and drew her into a kiss, "You okay?" He tucked her hair behind her ears, assuring her in a low, and what he hoped was a gentle tone. "We don't have go any further."

"I still want you." She tugged at his belt.

He realized that there was a problem with that whole her wanting him thing. He hadn't exactly been prowling for women on this trip and that condemn he'd used with Vanessa before the Twister was the last one he'd even touched. "If you want that, I'm gonna have to go out and buy…"

"They're in the bag with the snacks." Kate was blushing all the way to her hairline. "I grabbed them when I was in the bodega."

"You're gonna blush about condemns when I just had my head between your thighs?" He traced the line of her face and kissed her slow and sweet, savoring how good the connection of it felt. He wrapped his arms around her bare waist and palmed his way up her back. He swallowed her moans and let himself be lazy with the kiss, she was going to enjoy this, even if killed it him. He kept one hand following the line of her spine, the metal clinking as it moved, while his other hand was buried in her hair. He rubbed his tongue over hers, as she got bolder with her hands.

She unbuckled his belt, but he grabbed her hands and she broke their kiss looking up confused.

"You get me any harder, I'm not gonna be able to walk and I'm not fucking you against the door." He took her by the hand and led her to bed pulling the covers back, motioning for her to sit. He grabbed the box of condoms from the bag and set them on the nightstand. He watched her eyes follow his every move, not fearful, but still nervous. "I'm serious about that I said, you wanna stop, we stop; end of story." He sat down on the bed next to her and kissed her cheek, his finger running over her cross. "I don't care how far we get, you say stop and I stop."

Her fingers traced the line of his face, as if trying to see something, that he sure wasn't there. "So you're gonna do what I say, when I say?" His eyes widen as she turned away from him, but she looked back at him over her shoulder. "Take off my top, please."

He pulled her into his lap with a guttural sound, her ass rubbing over his erection. "Anything you say, Princess." His teeth found the lower knot of her top. He ran his tongue up her spine, while moving her hair over her shoulder to give him access to the top knot. He tossed her top away and palmed one of her breasts as he mouthed the curve of her throat. He let his tongue glide up column of her neck.

She mewled, shifting in his arms, aimlessly seeking more friction, her nipple pebbling under his fingers. "Your hands feel so much better than mine."

He grunted, because words were about impossible right now. He wanted to show her how much better his hands could really be. He nibbled at the junction of her shoulder and smiled against her skin, at her body's reaction. He bit down a little harder as Kate's nails dug into his thighs in response to the intensity. He kept his hands moving over her flesh, while soothing the red mark that he'd just made with his tongue.

She leaned her back against his chest, "Kiss me."

The metal of the watch scratched at her thigh as his mouth caught hers swallowing her desperate cries. He angled his hand so he could stimulate her better as he crossed his arm over her chest. "You gonna fall apart on me again so soon? Is that what you want?"

"Please." She whined.

"Please what?" He nuzzled at her cheek, a soft gesture considering where his hands were.

Her green eyes locked on his dark ones, "I want you to make me fall apart again." She leaned up and ran her tongue over his lips, "Then I want you to fuck me for real."

He kissed her hard, tongue battling with hers. Hearing her talk dirty was like the last nail in the damn coffin, everyone had a little devil in them. Leave it to him to draw that out of the angel in his arms. He kept his hands moving over her most sensitive areas her until she shuttered and shook. "You look amazing when you fall apart."

She laid her head back on his shoulder, nipping at his neck. "Flatterer." He tracked the lines of her body with his hands, letting himself explore her bare skin as she came down from her high.

"Honest." He spun her in his arms, pulling them bare chest to bare chest, content to breath in her presence.

She nodded and followed the pattern of his flame tattoo from wrist to shoulder with her fingers. "I do this while you're sleeping," she admitted, "the pattern's fascinating."

He let her fingers continue, but confessed. "I know; I wake up when you touch me."

Her cheeks stained pink, she got self-conscious over the silliest things. "That's embarrassing."

"No more embarrassing then when I wake up with my hands under your clothes or I'm hard against your ass." He leaned down and kissed her cheeks soft, almost chaste. "Which by the way, is amazing."

She giggled a little, "I have a nice ass, huh?"

"Amazing, I said amazing, don't misquote me." He offered his wrist to her. "Take off the watch. It scratched your thigh and I don't want it to get tangled in your hair."

She unclasped the watch and set it carefully on the nightstand.

He buried both hands in her hair, sighing in contentment as she copied his action and pushed herself up to kiss him. He kept them still exploring her mouth with his tongue as she tugged on his hair to keep him close.

Finally she pushed at his chest and drew in a long breath of air. "Lose the pants."

He disentangled himself from her and climbed off the bed, so he could strip a little easier. He dropped his clothes to the ground and crawled back into bed with her.

Her fingers made their way down his chest and past his stomach, pausing at his hipbones. "Can I…I mean, may I touch you?"

"Certainly not gonna stop you." He kissed the top of her head and hissed as she wrapped her fingers around him. "Christ."

"Did I hurt you?" Her voice was timid, it was the first time in a while he hadn't heard the tequila-inspired boldness. He shook his head and she stroked him more confidently, nails grazing carefully as she explored his length. "You're so hard."

"That's all you… But if you want me inside of you, you need to stop."

She released him and the sound that escaped him was almost embarrassing. She ran her nails up his chest and massaged his shoulders. He realized that she was making sure she had his complete attention. He stared into her green eyes and she blurted out, "I've never… I mean you know that, but…I…I'm a virgin."

"Kinda figured." He didn't mean to smirk like an asshole, but he reacted before he could stop himself. He cupped her cheek, "I've never been with a virgin, so we're both in new territory. This is still your show, you wanna…"

She put her finger against his lips and shook her head. "How old were you?" She reached over and grabbed the box he's set on the nightstand tearing it open.

He brushed her hand away and pulled the roll out of the box. "Fifteen."

"How old was she?"

He ripped one of the foil squares apart from the rest and held it in his palm, tossing the rest back on the nightstand. "Seventeen."

"Really?" She bit her lower lip. "Were you nervous?"

"Kinda," He admitted. "I talked myself up quite a bit; was a little worried I was gonna cum before I actually got inside her." He kissed her softly, and chuckled, "For most guys, it's a disaster the first time, so there's that."

She blinked up at him, "What if I'm bad at it?"

"Impossible." He leaned over her rubbing their noses together. "I'm a little worried that you may kill me, but that's about it. Always been my plan to die in the arms of a beautiful woman."

She blushed and looked away.

"Kate." When her eyes met his, he whispered low and raw, "You are perfect. More than I deserve, so much more."

"But you're who I want." She nudged the hand he'd put the condom in.

He tore the package with his teeth and rolled the latex over his length. He brushed the tip over her opening, watching her jump at the contact. "Breathe Kate, try to relax."

She drew in a shaky breath, but set her jaw.

"Might be easier with you on top." He suggested, "then you figure out how fast you wanna go." She nodded and he away from her slowly, her legs were shacking. This might be more of a thing then he thought. He rolled onto his back and tapped the headboard behind him. "You can use this for leverage."

She shifted over and threw one leg over his hips. She started to lower herself onto him and he dug his nails into his palms, willing himself to be perfectly still. Her breathing was still shaky; she suddenly froze, teeth digging into her bottom lip.

He ground his teeth together, "Tell me to stop and we're done."

Her palms flattened against his chest, "I was going ask if you could meet me halfway. Can you do that from this angle?"

"Yeah, if that's what you want." He was going to die right here.

He pushed into her and as she pressed herself down and he felt her whole body tremble; _fuck, he hurt her_. She yelped out a pained sound, nails on one hand digging into his forearm, while she braced herself on the headboard with her other hand. He cupped her cheek in his hand and wiped a tear away from her face.

"Talk to me." His voice gravel, as he struggled for control over himself.

"It's so different than anything I've ever felt before." She moved her hips slowly, experimenting. "It's like when you bit my shoulder… good pain. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah." Not a surprise but he was struggling with words in general right now.

She rolled her hips, using the headboard to steady herself and his hands ran up her chest. "It's better now."

"Good."

She nodded and started to find her rhythm, gasping as he teased as her where their bodies met. "Do that again."

He complied, taking her all the way to her edge without letting her fall, pulling back. He jerked her down for kiss to swallow her disappointed sound. He rolled them over, reversing their position, careful to not crush her.

She was heaven. He was sure of it, she was all the things that he didn't deserve and yet somehow he had right here in his arms. The world and all the bullshit was gone, it was just the two of them in this room and that was all he needed. He pinned her arms over her head against the headboard as he kissed her again.

"No." She whimpered into his mouth, her body trembling under his.

"What's wrong?" He stopped immediately and released her arms, trying to figure out what 'no' meant right now.

She turned her face away from, but he touched under her chin, bringing her back to face him.

"You have to talk to me. What is it?" He implored.

There was a tremor in her voice as she explained, "The professor, when he was going to sacrifice me, he… he…"

"Shit." He pulled her to his chest. "Fuck, Kate, I'm sorry. We can…I mean I can…"

She pressed her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down so she could press her lips against his. "I still want this. I want you, just not like that."

He nodded and he kept his arms wrapped around her as he moved in and out of her. He kept his body as tight to hers as he could and still move. This shifted between sex and something else in those last few moments and he wanted her to feel how much he cared about her. How much she meant to him. They were both covered in sweat, moaning and cursing, as his thrusts got more erratic. He wanted to make sure she came apart one more time. He went to move his hand between them, but she shook her head.

"I want to fall apart in your arms. I feel so much. Don't let me go, Seth, please."

He pressed his forehead to hers, "I'm not gonna last much longer."

"I want to feel you let go." Her green eyes met his.

He bit down on her shoulder, to keep himself from yelling out. He was worried he hurt her, but she arched against him, the new angle drawing them both over the edge.

"Shit." He finally panted out into her hair as he struggled to keep his weight off her.

Kate's expression was sated, happy, all post-sex stupid… fuck-coma. He must have smirked at her, because her eyebrow arched. "What?"

He flopped down next her on his back and poked at her shoulder. "I gotta get my legs back under me."

She cuddled up to him: head over his heart, leg draped over his, and her finger mapping his tattoo. "Why would you want to get up?" She yawned.

"I have to prove I'm not a one and done… and Princess, I'm looking forward to taking you in the shower."


	5. Cost of Going Too Far

**ANGST!** This pulls this back to cannon... and it's rough. Fair warning. Do not continue if you want to maintain your happy feels from the previous chapter. Thank you for reading my work. I look forward to reading more From Dusk Till Dawn

 **The Cost of Going Too Far**

He laid there next to her absolutely spent and shit-eating grin happy because of why he's spent, because hell-yes to all of that, that just happened. She was curled up in his arms, wet hair braided back and wearing nothing but a smile as she dreams. He knew that this thing between him and Kate was growing into a genuine connection and he didn't want to think about what that might mean. But this thing, the connection between them… It felt good and it's been so long since he's felt good about anything.

Her hand was over his heart as he mapped nonsense up and down the line of her spine. He'd thrown the sheet over them when they got out of the shower, because she was cold and he even though he was warm, it didn't matter. She threw her leg over one of his and cuddled up to him even tighter, murmuring in her sleep. He liked this feeling: her in his arms, it was comforting, like a home he never really had.

He was going to doze off soon, he could feel it. He knew he was going to sleep hard, 'cause damn she was amazing. He shouldn't sleep hard though, there might be complication, might be trouble. They hadn't set the alarm and he needed to set the stupid alarm, because they needed to leave first thing in the morning. He just had no desire to reach for the alarm clock on the nightstand.

She twitched in her dream, lips moving on his skin.

He chuckled, "What was that, Princess?" He used to do this to Richie when they were kids. His younger brother often talked in his sleep and Seth would record Richie's nonsense answers and play it back to torment him. He would get so pissed. "You talking to me?" He grinned down at her, running his finger over her hair.

"I love you."

His world stopped. He couldn't hear anything, but his own heartbeat pounding in his ear. No, this wasn't... She couldn't... She couldn't love him. He ruined everyone that he loved. He ruined anyone that loved him. And he was angry, irrationally and uncontrollably angry as memories flooded back:

" _I love you, Seth. Watch out for Richie until I get back." One eye swollen shut, tear running down her other cheek – Mom never came back. She'd left him sitting on the couch watching cartoons with his brother._

" _Family's the only ones that gonna love you. Next time your teacher asks you about a bruise, you better put on an Oscar worthy performance or I'll make you really sorry. Or just get rid of you; get rid of both of you." His father left him in his bedroom crying from the welts already appearing on his back. Richie crawled out of his bed and into Seth's whispering how sorry he was for telling the teacher and promising to sneak medicine for him as soon as their father fell asleep. He loved his father, and he didn't understand why he did everything wrong._

" _I didn't do this for money. I did this for you. I love you." Vanessa's eyes glistening with unshed tears. She'd bashed the windshield of his car, but still helped him escape. There was no way she got out of that burger joint not in handcuffs. And even if those last words he'd said to her were true, he hadn't needed to say them._

" _You always wanted to save me, brother, now you have. Maybe I'll find you on that beach." Richie waved the white flag as they said goodbye at the Twister, said 'I love you' the only way Richie knew how, by admitting that he'd needed help. Seth had turned his back on his brother. The brother he loved more than anyone and he just couldn't handle what he'd become. He wasn't his brother anymore._

Fuck.

It wasn't like he shouldn't have expected this from her. She was teenager and all the shit they just did, meant love, chemically. Add in everything they'd gone through and that made those feelings even stronger. But this couldn't be love, because he ruined everything he loved. He wouldn't love her, because he refused to ruin her.

His hand twitched, he needed to push her away for real, make her hate him, or at least make her not trust him. It wouldn't be hard to score drugs in this area, grab some money from her purse and take the car. If he shot himself up with something, it would help…make her afraid and give him an empty head, no more what ifs or maybes to fuck with him. If he had the drugs, he wouldn't crave her, wouldn't need to touch her.

She couldn't love him. He wouldn't let her. She was the last bit of light in this fucked up world and he wouldn't let himself snuff it out. She was that shred of conscious that he had left and if he ruined her then redemption… hell he was beyond redemption, but she wasn't. He couldn't risk her, couldn't risk her losing that good girl that she was.

And he'd stolen from her again… She thought she loved him. It wasn't what he physically did to her, it was her heart. He'd stolen part of her heart and that wasn't right. Her heart wasn't for him. Her heart was for some for good kid would tell that her she had emerald eyes and knew more than three Bible verses. She deserved so much more than fucking thief. She needed better and he knew that he'd never be better.

He'd cut her off from helping, that would piss her off, then the drugs that would make her think twice from getting near him, and if that didn't work he'd bring home some chick. He didn't want to have to go that far…he never should have let it get this far. He was going to break her heart. She was going to be so confused when acted like a dick tomorrow. She was going to cry and beg him to explain and he was just gonna blow her off, tell her he just wanted to get some and she was convenient. _He didn't want to make her cry, but he had to._ It was going to be like snapping a rubber band against your skin to remind you that reality was here. Paradise wasn't real and no one with the last name 'Gecko' ever got a happy ending. He wouldn't let her go down with him.

He was a bastard, a fucking bastard, but he won't pull her in any further. He can't make her a part of this world; this isn't the life that she should be living. _What was next a white sundress and Raybans so they could rob banks together? Who the fuck did he think he was letting things get this far?_ He was going to get them papers and send her ass on her merry way without him. She'd get to have a real life and he'd be some dark memory that woke her in the middle of the night.

He didn't want to do any of it, and yet, he knew that he had to do it. He'd never been more sure about doing anything. He'd never been more sure about one of his choices, actually being the right one. If he didn't do it, she'd never leave and that would be his worst crime by far. So he was going to let her go. _He didn't want her to leave…_

He looked at the clock and it was four minutes to the top of the hour and he decided that he'd let himself keep her for those last few minutes.

Four more minutes.

For four more minutes he'd lay next to her, and pretend that he wasn't going to do anything that would hurt her. He'd get their papers, but keep her with him. He'd take her back across the border, with those perfect papers and they'd make their way carefully, but lazily through Texas. He'd take her to meet his uncle and Eddie would love her, because how could you not, and then he'd catch hell about how young she was. And he'd pretend…

Three more minutes.

For three more minutes she'd be his. For three more minutes she'd belong in his arms; she'd be his Kate. She'd be his pretty little thing that no one better dare lay a finger on. She'd be the girl he taught to pickpocket, grift, and everything thing else he knew. She'd be the one that would have his back, every score from now on. He'd buy her a white dress, Raybans, a gun, and give her all his best lines when they became the new Bonnie and Clyde, but they'd have a better ending. He'd put a damn ring on her finger, because she's a good girl and she deserved it… and he wanted her to be a Gecko. Be his… and one day she'd fuss about settling and he'd complain, but he'd do it. For her he'd…

Two more minutes.

For two more minutes he'd imagine his version of El Ray with her. For two more minutes he let himself see the life they'd build together. He'd get her a damn house on the beach and they'd wake up every morning tangled up together. She'd drag him to church and somehow, convince him, that kids were a good idea. He'd really balk at that one, but she'd wear him down and they'd end up with two boys like him, but they'd have her good heart. He'd love them, and her, and nothing would ever hurt them, ever. He'd be the man she needed…

One more minute.

For one more minute he'd let himself be in love with her. For one more minute he'd lay here beside her and just be hers. For one more minute he'd let her love him. He kissed the top of her head and she nuzzled contently against him: happy, content… one more minute. He can almost hear that damn stopwatch: _You're on the clock, can you do it faster? Can you?_ He could do it faster, but he didn't want to _,_ he wanted time to slow down.

Thirty more seconds.

"Hey." He whispered in the dark, not knowing if he wanted her to hear or not.

She lifted her head, looking up at him, sleepy eyes trying to focus as her nose bumped against his.

He shouldn't have kissed her, but he did and he cherished every, single fucking second of it.

"Hi." She muttered against his lips. She wasn't even awake.

He didn't move away, he stayed in her space, breathing in her air. "I gotta run and grab some stuff. I'll be right back."

"Okay. I'm tired." Her sleep-laden voice was breaking his heart.

He smiled at her in the dark, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again, though he shouldn't… he'd run out of time.

He watched her until she fell back asleep and kissed the top of her head. He was leaving as the guy, who drove her away from hell, but he was going to come back the guy that drove her into it. He couldn't decide which version of himself that he hated more. "Sorry Princess, I just can't and I can't let you."


End file.
